I'm Back!
by badboysam
Summary: Sam Evans is back in Lima and back at McKinley. Now that he's done with all the questions, he's a man on a mission with one single objective...The heart of Mercedes Jones! And he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Sequel to That Infernal Question.
1. Hello stranger!

Sam couldn't help but smile as Mr and Mrs Jones drove past him and sped down the street. Things could not have worked out any better for him. They didn't recognize the blond strolling purposefully in the opposite direction. And why would they? The possibility that he was on the way to their home would not even have entered their consciousness. There was no way they could have known who he was and what plans he had for their precious daughter. He, on the other hand, knew exactly who they were. He recognized them from the family portrait in the hallway and from the photographs on Mercedes' bedroom wall. Sometimes he had felt a little bit bad about the idea of them staring down at him. Just a tiny bit bad, but not enough to make him stop. Nothing could make him stop. He was addicted.

Time in Kentucky had allowed his swagger to return in full force.

And, as usual, he was correct yet again. Tonight was date night in the Jones household. As it always had been. The third Sunday night of every month. There was only one flaw in the plan. The plan that rested in his head. The masterplan that had formed the moment his pop had announced that they would be returning to Ohio from Kentucky. The one spanner in the works.

She had a boyfriend. And there was every chance that while her parents were out on their date, she could be out on one of her own. Or worse still. He could be there. Sam had only heard about this boyfriend and didn't like the things he had heard. Mercedes Jones was his. He had got there first. And he was not prepared to give her up. Her body was a drug that he just could not get enough of.

As soon as he reached her door he began knocking without hesitation, smiling when he heard her voice gradually getting closer. He knew that the persistent knocking was annoying and from the way she was cussing he knew that she was pissed.

The door was suddenly flung open and although he had braced himself for the sudden onslaught of divatude, he was met with a shocked stunned silence. He had not told her that he was back. And it had only been one day since his arrivsl. She looked like she had seen a ghost.

"Sam…" The name had left her mouth as a whisper.

"Hey Sugar!" He grinned and despite not being invited, stepped inside, making sure to check behind her to see that there was no boyfriend lurking behind her. If there was one, he should have opened the door or accompanied her to it. That was, if he was a gentleman, which Sam seriously doubted he was.

"Is that all the hello I'm going to get Mercedes?" Just seeing her standing there, the look of confused shock on her face made his day.

She was still staring at him as if he was an apparition, hand still on the door, confused at what to do next.

"I think you're letting the heat out!"

He chuckled as she finally regained her senses and closed the door. He was already well into the hallway at this point and showed no signs of leaving.

"What the hell are you doing here Sam?" The power of speech had finally returned to her. She looked rather less pleased to see him than he had hoped.

"I'm back. And I missed you!" There. He had said it. Mercedes was standing there scoffing at him but the reality was that he had just made a significant emotional breakthrough. Sam Evans does not miss girls. He missed having sex, but that could be with any girl at any time. By the time he had reached McKinley, he had established a reputation back in Tennessee that Puck could only dream of. Puck spoke about it but Sam had lived it. Maybe it was the combination of his sweet innocent looks and the filthy potty mouth. Possibly something to do with the whole boarding school thing. It either turns boys gay or horny. And it had definitely made Sam chase skirt from the moment he had learned how 'gifted' he really was. Or rather, that blissful series of detentions where he had been shown his gifts and how best to use them. By the time his family had left Tennessee he had lost track of the number of girls he had fucked. Ohio was a new state, a co-ed school and an entire female student body just waiting to be tapped. At first he had tried the monogamy for popularity thing with Quinn but simply ended up with the worst case of blue balls known to man. Santana the 'closet lesbian who still liked cock' was a fun ride while it lasted and they had both taught each other new tricks, but there was nothing on the emotional level with them in the way that she had with Brittany, and despite multiple requests there was no way in hell she was going to even let him watch, let alone join in with them.

Mercedes was different. She genuinely had been a friend. He never really would have believed that it was possible for a girl and a guy to be friends, especially a guy like him. But she was a closet nerd just like him. And he didn't fancy her anyway. Not his type. So it was kind of okay. Then something had changed and there was no going back. And not only that, he _had_ missed her.

She chuckled at his words. "Missed me huh?"

He nodded silently, his eyes travelling all over her face. He remembered that smile, those dimples, those eyes… She was dressed for slouching round the house. A cream baggy wide necked sweater hanging loose asymmetrically over one shoulder and bright red sweatpants with the word Diva written in loopy letters across the ass in silver. Not the most obviously sexy of outfits and yet still she made him hot.

He took a step closer to her and she instinctively took a step backwards only to find her path blocked by the wall that she was suddenly pressed up against.

"When did you get back?"

"Yesterday." He had to give her kudos for actually trying to make conversation. But that wasn't what he was here for. "So you're not even going to give me one of those Mercedes hugs to say hello?" His eyes had locked on hers and she was struggling to break the stare. He moved in closer, his face now only a couple of inches away from hers. He knew exactly what he was doing and he was going to pull out all the stops. The wait had been far too long.

She shook her head slowly. "No hug." She knew exactly what those hugs had led to. They both did. And he could see her blushing at the thought of it.

"But that's no way to treat your friend!"

"Oh so we were friends were we?" There was an unmistakable edge to her voice and he struggled to fight back the urge to wince. That hurt more than is should have done.

"I like to think so." He said amiably.

"To me it was more like I was your dirty little secret!"

He placed his hands on the wall on either side of her head and moved in closer, pinning her to the spot with his eyes.

"I like to think the dirty little secret went both ways."

"You do?"

"Uh huh. Except in my case, the dirty and the secret parts were true, but the bit about being little…" He couldn't help but smile at the involuntary shudder that ran through Mercedes' body and she glared at him, hating the fact that he was enjoying her body's reaction to him, blissfully unaware of the reactions she was causing in him. He was already hard enough to bang her through the wall that she was backed up against.

"Why are you here Sam?"

"Unfinished business…" He knew his eyes answered that question more than his mouth did. But now his mouth was catching up, refusing to fight it anymore and his head lowered so that he could kiss her exposed shoulder. She moaned and tried to shrug him off, but this only lead him to bury his face into her neck instead.

"Sam! What are you doing?"

"Kissing your neck…" He said it as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It sure felt like it was to him.

"Don't!"

"Hmmmm…?"

"You have to stop!"

"Why?"

"Because we can't do this. _I_ can't do this." Her mouth said one thing but her body told him to total opposite.

He placed one final kiss on her jaw before meeting her eyes again. "Hey I heard about your boyfriend." He tried not to sound put out by this but is not entirely convinced by the tone of his own voice.

Her eyes were defiant. "Then you heard that he's built like a bulldozer!"

In his mind he thought 'oh shit' but his smile did not waver for a second. "So how does he measure up on the parts that _really _count?"

The way she avoided his stare gives all the answer that he needed. He hadn't been joking about the risk of 'nuttage' in those Rocky gold shorts. Sam Evans was definitely 'packing'! And he was no longer intimidated by his clearly inferior rival.

"Sam, we had a summer fling!"

He chuckled to himself and leisurely moved one of his hands from beside her head and ran it down her body, lingering at the curve of her breast, the curve of her waist and finally the curve of her ass, pressing her gently towards him.

She released her breath loudly and shakily as he murmured "It was _more_ than that."

She shook her head as he brought his lips down towards hers, but didn't stop him as he kissed her to prove his point. Hard. He pressed his body completely against her, pinning her against the wall and letting her feel exactly what kind of an effect she wass having on him. She opened her mouth and her tongue tasted of candy. And the feel of her moan against him made him feel even harder. They remain like that for several moments before the need for air reminds her that he can't just come here and do this to her anymore. She quickly unwrapped the leg that she had somehow flung around him at some point during the kiss, and pushed him back to arm's length away from her.

Her voice is breathless when she finally regains the power of speech. "I'll always have a special place in my heart for you but I've moved on, and you need to do the same."

"Aw just shut the fuck up Mercedes!" He kissed her again with such force and passion that she knew he believed those words as much as she did. Which was not at all. This kiss blew her away because it was amazing. The kiss blew Sam away, not just because he knew he had made it amazing and was conveying a message, but also because there was something else in it. Something he wasn't expecting. Something a little… more…

But now he was pressed up against her again and it felt amazing. He loved those curves. She was all woman and softness. He palmed her breasts through the top and felt her moan vibrate through her chest. She had lost control of her hands which now alternated between his chest and his hair and his ass, her leg resuming its place wrapped around him. Even fully clothed, being pressed up against her felt amazing.

Maybe that's why he had jerked off his morning boner to thoughts of her every single morning in the shower while he was gone. The feel of her body and the hotness of her mouth was his undoing.

"But my boyfriend…"

Somehow in the heated tangle she had managed to pull her thoughts together to remember that foolish cockblocker. But he intended to shut that one down completely.

"What makes you think you can just walk back into my life and…"

He slid his hands between them, up under the sweater and then down below the sweats and the panties and was not surprised to find her hot and wet at her core. She always was. The girl had a libido to match his and was easily stimulated.

"Saaaaammm…."

He knew he had her. He wasn't going to leave until she was screaming his name. He stroked gently before inserting one finger and then a second. As her back arched against the wall he withdrew them, ignoring her whining response. Bringing his wet fingers up to her face, he waved them at her accusingly before putting the fingers one by one into his mouth. This time it was her grinding her hips against his, aching for a return of the stimulation that he had started. Instead, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "I don't care how big or bad your boyfriend is, I'm going to fight to get you back!"

His lips then found hers again, to kiss away any protests. But he wasn't met with any. She was lost.

He finally broke the kiss to bend and reach behind her knees, scooping her up into his arms bridal style and carrying her up to the bedroom. Once there she giggled he threw her onto the bed. In the time that it took him to pull his tee shirt over his head, her sweat bottoms were already gone and he leaned in to help her remove the sweater.

That's when he saw the picture of the heavy set black guy with the pencil moustache on her dresser.

"Is this him?"

She quickly reached up and pushed the picture flat face down. Sam shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we should let him watch and see what I'm about to do to his girl. He might get some pointers for his next girlfriend…"

Mercedes shook her head and he was sufficiently distracted by the sight of her ample breasts spilling over the top of her lacy bra to give the mustached fool much more thought. In one swift move that still never failed to amuse her he had unhooked and discarded the bra across the room, wasting no time in cupping and kneading one breast while taking the nipple and areola of the other into his mouth. One day she would ask how he had become such an expert on bra removal, but for now she had already forgotten and was well on the way to forgetting her own name.

But Sam was in no rush. He already knew from experience that date night meant they would have at least three uninterrupted hours together. And he had every intention of making good use of that opportunity, starting by making sure that he took the time to give her breasts equal amounts of worship and adoration, tasting, teasing, nibbling, caressing and stimulating them with his lips and tongue, while periodically moving them back to her own lips and letting his hands do the talking. He had missed her body. How had he ever thought that he was not attracted to larger girls? He had missed out on so much.

Eventually her moans became too much and he finally kissed the trail down to her belly button and below. Once there, he hooked his thumbs into the sides of her panties and she raised her hips to help him dispose of them. As soon as he reached her swollen clit he began the assault with his tongue, bringing her to heights of pleasure that he knew her new man would not come anywhere near. Fingers, lips and tongue working in harmony to produce several different tonal versions of his name. Sam had learned very early that you can take so much more if you give first! And he did, remembering not to leave her too tired for the final event.

Finally he climbed back up her body and let her taste with her tongue the sweetness that his own mouth had been consuming. He leaned down from the bed to open her bottom drawer, automatically reaching to the back, to the box which had previously held the kind of girly things that he didn't like to think about, and now hiding his condom supply. He grabbed two and tossed one onto the pillow next to them before ripping the plastic open on the other with an arched eyebrow.

"So I guess he didn't need to borrow anything from my stash…"

"Shane was a different size-"

She stopped herself at the smile on Sam's face. They both knew she meant smaller but neither was going to be the one to say it. Sam would gloat about that one when he goes back to school. And what kind of a stupid name was Shane anyway?

Condom on, he knelt between her open legs and rested his cock gently against her moist lips, praying that he wouldn't lose control, but she was the one losing control, arching her hips, reaching forward and gripping his ass, pulling him towards her and he wasted no time answering her silent prompting by pushing into her, pausing for her to adjust before allowing her to set a comfortable rhythm. After all, he was big and it had been a while since they had been together.

"Shit Cedes! You're so-" Sensible words failed him as he slowly thrust in and out, feeling her hot tightness repeatedly envelop him and then release him before taking him in again and threatening to swallow him whole. She shifted her hips slightly so that he could go deeper and he responded by quickening the pace, holding on to her thighs and watching with pleasure as her breasts bounced in small circles from the regular impact. Her eyes were closed and she was muttering a barely imperceptible 'yeah… yeah' each time he thrust into her. It was hot as hell!

Normally at this point he would turn her around and fuck her doggy until she came, but today was different. Today he pulled her in closer into his arms and she wrapped her legs around him as continued to thrust even deeper, their hips barely breaking their connection and their bodies touching from the chest downwards, her hands on his back and ass already leaving scratch marks in the familiar places. The sounds coming from her mouth were pure ecstasy and he was having trouble keeping quiet himself, the slight change in angle taking them both to greater heights.

When he felt the subtle change in her body he started to hit harder and faster. He wanted her to come hard. And to know it was him, and only him that made her feel like this. Her eyes were tightly shut and he brought his mouth to her ear. "Does it feel good?"

She nodded furiously.

"I can't hear you. Does this feel good?"

"Y-YES!"

"Does your boyfriend make you feel like this?"

"Nu- uh!"

He pumped into her even harder. They were both on the edge of the precipice.

"Who makes you feel good?"

"You!"

"And what's my name?"

"Saaaamm!" Hearing his name made him drive into her with everything that he had. "Come for me baby! Come now!"

And she did, with his name screamed so loudly from her lips that his orgasm followed seconds later.

Because he was holding her so tightly he felt her whole body convulse and shudder during his final couple of strokes before he released what felt like endless waves of himself into his condom. He hadn't expected that he would come as hard as he did, and that her name would be on his lips too. It took them both a couple of minutes for them to regain their composure and he pulled himself out, removing and tying the condom before tossing it with perfect aim into her trash can.

He raised himself up onto one elbow and smiled down at her, brushing behind her ear a small lock of hair which had become matted to her forehead with sweat. He loved watching her face. Seeing how she had changed over the summer from a shy innocent girl to a sexual being who knew how to demand what she wanted. And suddenly, without realizing, he was stroking her cheek.

"Break up with Shane."

She looked at him, wide eyed at his sudden command, still caught up in the afterglow. "What did you just say?"

"End things with Shane." He was totally serious.

"Why should I?"

"Because you're mine."

"How do you know I'm yours?"

"Because I marked you as mine. The weekend your parents went to that dental conference."

She smiled as she thought back to the memory of that hot weekend and of the small scar on her skin that would always be a constant reminder of it. Plus, much as she hated to admit it, a horny Sam being all possessive completely turned her on. And she had just screamed his name for the entire neighborhood to hear.

"But what if you leave me again?"

He pulled her soft body into an embrace. "I'm not going anywhere this time Mercedes." And then he broke the biggest of his rules. He held her. Because although he was a guy who would never cuddle a girl that he had just fucked, this one was different. And maybe, just maybe, a quick five minutes before they were ready to go again wouldn't do any harm…

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><p><em><strong>To be continued...<strong>_


	2. Operation: MINE

**_Firstly, I just want to thank everybody sooooooo much. Samcedes have the most amazing shippers out there. I would never have dared to imagine that I could write a 45k+ word story in my life without all your feedback and support. I hope you all enjoy this one as much as That Infernal Question. (And no drunk updates this time either, I promise!)_**

**_Disclaimer: I'm using characters and words from the show. If you don't like it you can sue me!_**

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><p>Sam smiled as he walked towards the familiar entrance to William McKinley High School. It was like coming home. Only a select few knew of his return and he was looking forward to surprising the rest. He walked through the old familiar halls, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mercedes but there was no sign of her. She hadn't replied to any of his texts after he had left on Saturday night and he was desperate to see her and find out if she had gotten rid of that oaf of a boyfriend yet.<p>

He made his way to the office to complete the necessary paperwork, be assigned his new locker and collect his new class schedule. It took longer than expected and as none of his classes would be counting his attendance until tomorrow, he snuck into the auditorium for some thinking time. As always, he felt calm when he was strumming his guitar.

Today was the day that he put in motion operation Mercedes: Move mountains to get her back Immediately, No Excuses or operation MINE (bad acronym – blame the dyslexia) into action. She was the reason he came back. Everything was about her. Every dance in the strip club was inspired by thoughts of her. And although he had not slept with any of the clientele at the club (sneakily dancing underage was one thing, getting caught with a client while underage quite another), twice he had succumbed to his basest needs and hooked up with girls who reminded him of her. But only because he didn't think he was going to see her again. They meant nothing. But she did mean something. And he had no qualms about using his sex appeal to get her back.

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><p>Sam stood outside the rehearsal room and grinned as he watched Mr Schue and Finn enter, carrying bottles of sparkling cider and red solo cups. Suddenly, he knew exactly what his song choice was going to be, given that Mercedes was not going to be in the room.<p>

"Hey, great news everybody-" Sam could almost hear the smile in the man's voice as he approached the forlorn group of teens huddled on the plastic chairs.

"Mr Schue, we all appreciate your endless supply of affirmations, but all the sparkling cider in the world cannot hide the fact that the Titanic has hit the iceberg, and now we're on a sinking ship!"

_Thankyou for the vote of confidence Kurt!_

Sam smiled and used those words as his cue to step boldly into the room. "Not if I can help it!" he said with a grin. A small cheer went up and unsurprisingly, Mike was the first up, nearly falling over his chair in his rush to pull him into a massive hug, rapidly followed by Tina. He'd missed these guys more than he had realized. There were some extra faces, Blaine with his Dr Who bowtie, some short guy who he assumed was the Irish guy Rory that Finn had told him about, and an extra member, strewn haphazardly on Puck's head where his Mohawk used to be. _What the fuck was wrong with his head?_ Man he'd missed this place! He smiled before speaking. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Finn and Rachel. I sort of lost my way-" He thought of the things that he had had to do in Kentucky, "but true friends help you find your way back."

Finn shot him a knowing grin before popping the cork on one of the cider bottles. "Let's hear it for Sam Evans!"

Another cheer went up and Sam allowed himself to bask in the joy of the moment before pulling his guitar strap over his shoulder with a smile. "Ok, enough of all this sentimental stuff! Time to get a little bit of country up in this joint!" He watched the beverage being poured as he started to strum the opening chords of Red Solo Cup. Maybe if he sung, Mr Schue might give him more solos this time round! Or maybe even a duet with Mercedes… He smiled as his usually deep voice went a notch lower at the thought of it. But for now, operation MINE needed to be put into place. And having her back in the New Directions was going to help facilitate things.

The highlight for him was seeing Santana. He didn't even bother hiding his amuzed smile as she stood before him, reading her pre-written list of insults to him. It was one of the sweetest things he had ever heard and despite the stunned look on the face of the baby faced guy who just had to be Rory, he totally understood that the insults about his mouth were terms of endearment.

"I missed you too Santana!" he said, pulling her into a hug. "We need to talk later."

She pulled back and stared hard at him. "But I'm with Britts now!"

He chuckled. "I know. When I said talk, I actually meant conversation! We should catch up. I want to hear all about these Troubletones and what drives them."

"Hmmm…" she shot him a look that was entirely too knowing before turning to leave. "Text me! Or not!" She shrugged. "It's not like I heard from you after you left anyway."

"Nobody did!" Piped up Mike, and Sam sat back down, feeling more than a little guilty for having cut them all off like that.

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><p>"Hey Sam, wait up!"<p>

He turned to see Quinn running to catch up with him. She immediately grabbed him and linked her arm with his which seemed a little odd, but she was now his friend so he decided to just go with it.

"I'm sure you've heard that Mercedes has a new boyfriend. He's got a full scholarship to Ohio State."

He sighed internally, knowing that he already did not like the direction this conversation was going in. Exes talking about other exes… "It's nice to see you too Quinn!" he replied with more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"No, No! It's a good thing! You see, I'm free, you're free and I'm sure that you've noticed that I'm supermodel thin now that my thyroid is under control…" _Oh please tell me that she did not just go there…_

He stopped to turn and face her properly, already bracing himself for whatever crazy shit she was going to throw at him. "What do you want Quinn?"

She paused for a moment before speaking. "Look, last year I didn't appreciate you. But we were perfect together-"

_Oh yeah. She just went there! _"Quinn…"

"I'm going to get Beth back. And you'd be perfect to help raise her. You're so good with kids! And you're so funny!"

He chucked in disbelief. _Finn had warned him that she was going a little crazy trying to get her baby back, but he hadn't expected THIS on his first day back!_

"Quinn, you've got what I call 'rich white girl problems'!" _Now Sam, what you call or what Mercedes would call… _"It's a tough world out there. I know, I've been through it. You only get one senior year... _Enjoy it!_" He watched her face as it registered the shock of his refusal. But something told him that maybe she was actually listening to him so he continued. "Remember the son Jack and Dianne by John Mellenkamp? My favorite lyric is this one 'Hold on to sixteen as long as you can.' Just promise me you'll think about that."

She stood, staring at him with a miserable expression and he could tell that her thoughts were racing. Her eyes started to well and he shook his head. "Don't even go there. I know you too well Quinn!"

She shook her head sadly and it was then that he realized she wasn't faking. Reaching out he stroked her arm. "You need to focus on one thing Quinn. I know you want to get your baby back. But I'm not the one to help you do that. I'm not the one you want. If you're going to be with somebody, it should be for the right reasons. And what kind of a future can you offer her? You're bright, way brighter than most of us. Sit tight, get your grades, go to college and give Beth a reason to be proud of her mom. You had to make a sacrifice. Make it worth it."

Quinn stood still, simply nodding. "You know, you even sound like her."

"Huh?"

"That's exactly what Mercedes said I should do with my life."

_Really?_

She narrowed her eyes and looked at him searchingly. "She really meant something to you, didn't she!"

Sam turned and started to walk again. He was not about to have this discussion with Quinn of all people. "You know, none of us could work out why she was so sad when you left. It was only when Jacob Ben Israel mentioned it on camera that we even knew and by then it was already too late and she was with Shane."

He stopped walking and turned towards her once again, unsure as to what to say.

"For what it's worth Sam, I know her and I know you and I can see why it could have worked. You've changed." Then she bowed her head and quickly walked away before he could say anything else.

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><p>He finally saw Mercedes on the stairwell and ran down them two at a time in order to catch up with her. He could tell that she knew he was behind her, but she only increased her strides to move faster.<p>

"If I didn't know better I'd say you were trying to avoid me!" He tried to keep his voice light but her whole demeanor worried him. Since their amazing session on Saturday night she had given him nothing but the cold shoulder.

"Maybe I am!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She stopped walking and held her hand up for him to stop talking. "It means…" She took a deep breath "It means that Saturday was a mistake."

"It didn't feel like a mistake to me."

"Sam. I have a boyfriend. Who loves me. I sure as hell don't deserve his love after I cheated on him, but he's the best thing that's ever happened to me and I can't lose that."

"But what we had-"

"Like I said, was a summer fling. And what we did was wrong."

"But you said you were going to break up with him!"

"No I didn't. You _told_ me to break up with him, while you had me under…_duress..."_

Sam chuckled and used his fingers to make quotation marks in the air."'Duress' huh! Is that what we're calling it now?"

"You know exactly what I mean!"

"Uh huh!"

"But I never actually agreed."

"You didn't disagree!"

"I was in no position to think straight. Right now I'm pissed off at you for making me cheat. I'm even more pissed off at _me_ for giving in so easily with the cheating and I have a relationship that I need to mend with a really great guy!"

"So what does that mean for us getting back together?"

"I'll let you figure that one out." She turned and started to walk away. "I have my own mistakes that I need to fix."

Sam stood still for a second before deciding to shout after her. "I meant what I said about fighting to get you back!"

He watched her clench her books tighter to her chest as she turned the corner and disappeared from his line of sight.

Quinn was right about him. He had changed. And now he knew exactly what he wanted. But so far, this wasn't going quite as smoothly as he planned.

He was going to have to turn things up a notch…

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><p><strong><em>I know this chapter was pretty short and smut free but i'll make up for that. Besides, I needed to establish some plotlines into what was essentially supposed to be a oneshot. <em>**

**_(BTW the prequel to this, Eyes Wide Shut had Mercedes POV smut so I think i can be let off this chapter - i totally forgot i had written it but it fits really well!)_**


	3. We Are Young

_**This chapter is dedicated to my best friend Ania who dared to argue with me about Glee today and says I have betrayed Fabrevans. It's not true. I still ship Fabrevans. I just accept that they're over and now ship Samcedes waaay more (coz Fabrevans is nice but Samcedes is hot!) But if the HOTS 'rich white girl problems' scene was not sufficient closure for you (coz we both know it was more than enough for me), then I hope this is.**_

_**And please know that this comes from a place of love. LOL! (Coz you know I can't hate Quinn.)**_

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><p>Sam was the only one who couldn't feel excited over their win at sectionals. The Troubletones had produced a really good set and they had looked devastated to have come second to the New Directions. Plus seeing Mercedes back in a thigh skimming silver dress… well, let's just say there was a reason his body roll was so big when his turn was up to dance!<p>

He looked up from where he was seated on the stage in preparation of singing a celebratory song when he saw Quinn smiling and heading over to him. "Hey Sam! Can I sit with you?"

He shrugged. "Sure." He couldn't exactly be rude and say no. Besides, she looked as if she had something to say and he was curious to know what it was because they hadn't really spoken since their strange conversation in the hallway on his first day back.

"Considering we just came first place in sectionals, you seem pretty down in the dumps" she began.

He scratched his head through his beanie hat and shrugged. "I guess the things I imagined in my head would happen when I came back and the reality of it are slightly different and I'm still processing all of it."

"Yep. Reality sucks sometimes. But I have some good news for you. I managed to convince Mr Schue not to go with Rachel's choice of song for once!" She smiled at him and it seemed genuine. "He's letting us sing 'We Are Young'!" She looked at him expectantly. "You don't seem happy Sam. Don't you like the song?"

"Yeah. It's cool I guess."

"I suggested it because of what you said to me in the hallway. You were right. I just had to listen to what you were actually saying." She put her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you Sam."

"For what?"

"For not hating me forever after what I did to you. You were totally innocent and I screwed you over badly."

"You screwed yourself up Quinn. You didn't exactly come out of it unscathed either."

"I know. But I treated you badly and I know I said this before but I'm sorry."

"And I already told you I'm past it already."

"I know that too, but I still think that I should give you this back." She handed him a small white box. He didn't need to open it to know what was inside. "I broke the promise Sam. You kept your side of it but I shattered mine. It's lost its significance and should go back to you."

He shook his head. "No Quinn. It's okay. I gave it to you and you can keep it. It may not be a promise ring anymore but a gift is a gift. Maybe you can give it to Beth when she grows up. Tell her it's from her uncle Sam. Even if I never get to meet her, you can tell her that I'm the guy that told her mom during her senior year that she deserves the best in life."

She smiled, knowing that he meant it and took the box back willingly. "Well, I have a gift for your too. I've just come back from the bathroom."

Sam raised an eyebrow and looked at her quizzically. She simply laughed and smacked his arm just like Mercedes used to. "No! It's nothing weird you nut! I was just having some girl talk with a little group called the Troubletones. I saw their faces when they lost to us. They were devastated. And in some ways they should have won. But we're stronger together than we are apart. Which is why I took it upon myself to give them my own version of the Sam Evans 'hard truths' speech."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

Quinn smoothed down the skirt of her dress. "You know one of the things I love about Mercedes. She doesn't back down easily. She believes strongly in things, even if sometimes they hurt her. Despite everything, we all love each other and we only have a few more months before real life separates us, maybe for good. We have to make the most of now, we need to hold on to being young, otherwise we'll only look back with regret. And we all belong together. We should be together and we should create as many opportunities as possible to be together while we still have the chance."

"It doesn't matter what you say, the Troubletones will never come back. We beat them and they hate us. Now that I think about it, it wasn't the smartest move i've ever made!"

"You're wrong Sam. Wrong about yourself and wrong about them." She smiled knowingly as the beat from the band signaled the beginning of the song "They were always part of us, we just never saw them shine like that before."

Sam watched as Rachel began singing.

_Give me a second I,  
>I need to get my story straight<br>My friend's are in the bathroom getting higher than the  
>empire state<br>My lover he's waiting for me just across the bar_

She came up behind the both of them as she sang.

_My seat's been taken by some sunglasses asking about a  
>scar, and<em>

In classic New Directions style, Finn joined in making it a duet, and Sam again felt the pull of never having had the opportunity to sing a duet with Mercedes.

_I know I gave it to you months ago  
>I know you're trying to forget<br>But between the drinks and subtle things  
>The holes in my apologies<br>You know I'm trying hard to take it back_

Knowing that the song was supposed to be a free for all, Sam grabbed the next line and was rapidly joined by Quinn.

_So if by the time the bar closes  
>And you feel like falling down<br>I'll carry you home_

Everyone stood and began dancing, joining in with the chorus.

_Tonight  
>We are young<br>So let's set the world on fire  
>We can burn brighter than the sun<em>

_Whoaoah!_

It was an extra big note that wasn't in the original, but Sam would know that voice anywhere. He had missed that voice. He looked up from his dancing to see the Troubletones had entered with Mercedes in front, her smile just as big as the one that Quinn was shooting back at her. Quinn held out her hand and the rest of the group did the same, calling back their former members. The singing became louder as the four girls added their voices to the chorus.

_Tonight  
>We are young<br>So let's set the world on fire  
>We can burn brighter than the sun<em>

Quinn brought her fist to her heart and was the first to leave the group on the stage, dancing towards Mercedes, embracing her and Tango walking her back to the main group, spinning her and laughing as they sang. Soon the entire group was joined together, singing, moving around and enveloping each other in hugs.

_Now I know it I'm not  
>All that you got<br>I guess that I, I just thought  
>Maybe we could find new ways to fall apart<br>But our friends are back_

_So let's raise a cup  
>'Cause I found someone to carry me home<em>

Sam felt Quinn approach him from behind and put her arm around his shoulders. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her close. "Thankyou" he whispered in her ear.

She shook her head. "No. Thank _you! _Besides, I've done my part, the rest is up to you now! But a word of advice as a friend, try to be a little less obvious when you're undressing her with your eyes from across the room!"

Sam just laughed and pulled her in tighter as they sang.

_Tonight  
>We are young<br>So let's set the world on fire  
>We can burn brighter than the sun<br>_  
><em>So if by the time the bar closes<br>And you feel like falling down  
>I'll carry you home tonight<em>

* * *

><p>Sam stood at his locker, his eyes boring holes in the back of Mercedes' head as yet again she walked past, hand in hand with Shane. It wasn't working. It had been weeks and now they were into a new year. He stared into the back of his locker where a purple box lay. Mercedes' Christmas present. He had tried to give it to her so many times but she refused to accept it. And he refused to take it back to the store. That would be admitting defeat. And Sam Evans wasn't going to lose.<p>

It was getting frustrating. He'd set his charm phaser to stun but Mercedes was surrounded by a force field that was totally impenetrable. Other girls caught his smiles and smoldering glances and mistakenly thought he was after them, but for once in his life he had his eyes on one girl and one girl alone. She would be his. It was just a matter of time. Even in Glee she always seemed to sit as far away from him as possible. He knew he should give up but he had no intention of it. Because he knew that whenever she wasn't concentrating, her eyes would absently drift to him, and a few times she'd even started to smile at him before realizing what she was doing and turning away. He had tried several times to speak to her in the hallways, making general conversation, but she always kept it brief and left him hanging, more often than not walking away from him hand in hand with the stupidly named _Shane. _If only he could get her away from her stupid jock of a boyfriend, that fool who strutted round the school in his XXL letterman jacket-

_That was it! Now why the fuck did he not think about this sooner?_

_The letterman jacket makes all the girls go wild…_

He had tried and failed to get back on the football team when he first arrived. They already had several new members including a cockblocking fucker as their linebacker. He would just have to try something else. He needed to even the playing field.

Shane had a Letterman jacket. Now he had to have one too. He thought back to the summer and how much Mercedes had loved his jacket. She'd loved it so much she'd worn it to keep warm.

_And she'd loved it so much she'd worn it to make herself hot!_

Apparently it reminded her of the very first time she had seen him. She'd been sitting on the bleachers with Tina and Rachel and somehow she had caught his eye. He was new and shooting out his trademark 'hey, how are you doing' grins at all the girls as he scoped out the talent in the school. But while most had grinned back or even gazed back flirtily, she had looked almost surprised that he was looking at her, before bashfully returning the smile. It was cute and he couldn't believe he had forgotten that had happened. It was only after getting to know her better that he understood her response.

He'd always loved the jacket and the status wearing it had given him. The only thing he loved more than wearing it was seeing Mercedes wearing it. Especially just the jacket and nothing else. She would walk around her house in it, teasing him mercilessly, bending at every opportunity to expose her sweet sweet ass and pussy to him before continuing with whatever she had been doing. When she wore the jacket she was in control and she made him completely lose his. The jacket meant that she was the jock. The jacket meant that she was on top. She had full control. All he had to do was lie back, keeep his hands to himself and take it like a man. And he was always more than happy to do that. He would lie back, clutching the bedspread or the couch or the fluffy rug in front of the fake fireplace while she rose him like a stallion, setting the speed and the depth of her movements herself. Sometimes arching her spine and throwing her head back, placing her hands on his belly, pulling herself high and plunging back down, impaling herself over and over again on his thick rigid cock, sometimes staying low and grinding her hips against his, rocking and twisting, sometimes in a figure of eight, sometimes adjusting the angles, other times just rolling her hips. It didn't matter. Whatever felt good to her sure as hell felt good to him too. She would always eventually tire and allow him grab her hips bruisingly tight, clutch and spread her ass cheeks and thrust up noisily into her anyway.

And sometimes, just sometimes, if he had been very well behaved and obedient, she would unzip the jacket and open it enough to let him nip and suck at her breasts while she leaned forward and worked herself into a frenzy on top of him.

It was only on one of their final days together that she admitted why she had first worn the jacket during sex. He knew she had always been reluctant to go on top and he had always put it down to shyness and inexperience. But it was actually her insecurities. Much as he told her how much he loved her body, she still didn't have the confidence to move on top of him while she was totally naked. The jacket was like a shield. Even after all the times that they had been together, she was still scared that if he saw her like that it would turn him off. That afternoon he had taken the time to prove to her that she was beautiful to him. That she was desired by him and that she had the power to make him totally lose control and take every single drop of cum from his body. That night he was left so exhausted he slept like a dead person despite all the light and noise in the motel room. Even his mom had wondered if he was sick!

But of course, he couldn't share any of this information with coach Beiste he thought to himself as he strode towards the gym. All he could do was make himself come across as sounding shallow. Needing a jacket to get back his old popularity. To be a jock again.

"Hey Bieste. I don't know if you remember me, but I want to join the basketball team!" He smiled as brightly as he could and hoped that she would remember him for the Stop In The Name Of Love mashup performance rather than the cold shower effect that she'd had on him.

"Are you serious?" she asked in her husky voice "Where were you when I was having tryouts?" She turned and headed towards the weights. _Damn, the swagger Sam charm was completely ineffective on this woman!_

"Living in a hotel in Kentucky." Sam replied honestly. He kept following her and persisted. "To be honest sir, I really want a varsity jacket with a letter on it to wear this year and I need it like… _fast!"_

She turned back towards him and stared at him sympathetically. "Look pal, every team at this school has already been practicing for months. The seasons have already started!"

"Is there any team I can join in _any_ sport? _Please?... Anything?"_

Her look of sympathy increased. Sam hated it but he was getting desperate. "Yeah there's one, but I don't think that you're gonna be interested!"

"Try me!"

He stayed true to his word, but nothing could have prepared him for what he had to do. And there was no woman in the world that he was more scared of than coach Roz when he met her. _Croocked nipples MY ASS! Mercedes Jones loved herself some of these crooked nipples!_

She did, however, scare him shitless. But then he figured if he could deal with her, there was no way Mercedes family could ever be that scary if he ever got to meet them.

_Hmmm... _Sam Evans just had a thought about meeting a girls's family? Well... _SHIT!_

* * *

><p>Sam was so proud of his jacket. Another phase of operation MINE had been achieved. Every time he walked past and saw him in the jacket she would remember. And he wanted her to remember. She loved that jacket because she said it smelled of him. He loved it even more when it smelled of her. Better still he loved it when it smelled of their sex.<p>

"Synchronized swimming is cool!" he told a disbelieving Finn before seeing her at her locker and deciding to tell her his good new.

He was so focussed on Mercedes that he never saw the slushie coming. He barely closed his eyes in time before he felt the icy sting. This wasn't just one slushie. They had to have had one in each hand totalling four!

"Synchronized!"

He knew those voices anywhere. Rick the Dick and Marcus. He shouldn't even have been surprised. Frozen to the spot by the shock of it all, he felt Marcus' warm breath by his ear. "You left before I could tell you how much of a great fuck Marie was at the party. You made the wrong choice that night choosing frigid Mercedes over flexible Marie! _Loser!_"

Fists clenched, he stood, gasping for breath when he heard another voice. The last person he wanted to see him like this.

"Oh my god Sam! Are you okay?" Her eyes were wide, he hair was partially in a purple beanie and all he could think of was how pretty she looked.

Still unable to speak he felt her take the end of the towel which was draped around his neck and begin cleaning the ice particles from his face with a dry section at the end of it. Her voice was soft. Still unable to speak he looked at her. It was humiliating. And yet somehow it was still worth it. She had not come this close to him willingly since he had gone to her house when he first arrived. She was so close that when she reached up he could feel the warmth of her breath on his cheek.

"What's going on baby?"

_Fuck that fucking fucker! He was ALWAYS there!_

And yet again she left with him. But this time, not before she referred to him as her friend. And as she passed she muttered "See you later" as she brushed more slushie from his shoulder.

It may have been cold and embarassing, but it had caused her to be the softest towards him since they had been back at school. And she had defended him to her boyfriend.

Point to Sam Evans.

Game is definitely back _ON!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Song lyrics were from We Are Young by Fun (ft Janelle Monae)<strong>_


	4. Trouble In Paradise?

_**As with my last fic, for this to work, the timing will be a bit off and some things might be in the wrong order. Also, for the sake of this story, Sam's whole family have moved back to Lima and he is living with them and not Finn/Kurt. Joe has already joined the New Directions and Quinn never has her accident. Oh and there's probably a bunch of other stuff too but this is my story so whatever...**_

* * *

><p>Sam Evans has done his best to find out what he could about Shane Tinsley and he didn't like what he was hearing.<p>

By all accounts he was a nice guy _and_ a good boyfriend. _How the hell was he supposed to compete with that?_

Since the slushie incident, Sam had been taking small liberties with Mercedes, chatting to her more and more and generally making his presence and interest in her more felt, although he drew the line at actually touching her. Yes he was going to play dirty, but not so badly as to scare her off completely. Not yet, anyway…

He quickly learned that the best place to catch her alone was her locker. He thought it strange, as theoretically Shane should be at her locker with her to carry her books, but maybe it was because he didn't have that little bit of old fashioned Southern chivalry in him. Any little chink in the big guy's armour would be used against him to bring him down. And so Sam would approach Mercedes and they would literally make 'small talk' at her locker. Short meaningless conversations. Ones where he would occasionally push his luck forcing her to remember something they had done or watched together over the summer, or busting out an impression, simply to make her smile. She knew that he was still making a play for her, but as long as he kept it on the level she couldn't really tell him to back off. He wasn't being more than a friend. _Yet…_

The biggest liberty he had started taking was resuming his 'good morning' and 'goodnight' texts. She had tried to pick him up on it but as he pointed out, it was literally a greeting and nothing more. He knew that each time she got one of those messages it would make her smile. And he also knew she would feel the need to delete the message as soon as she had opened it in order to prevent Shane from seeing it. A secret between her and him that excluded Shane. Just the mere idea of it made him happy.

The thin end of the wedge…

And he did his best to send the goodnight ones when he suspected she was actually with Shane!

When the news broke about Whitney Houston his first thought had been of Mercedes, knowing how important the singer was to her. He immediately shot off a text to ask how she was doing and saying how sorry he was for the loss of such a legend far too soon. He didn't get a reply but he hadn't really expected one. He just wanted her to know that he was thinking of her. That he _remembered _that about her.

The following Monday she had been in a somber mood. For some inexplicable reason Sam felt the need to pass by the auditorium at lunchtime and was surprised to see Kurt and Mercedes in there, blasting the final notes of The Greatest Love Of All before Kurt took her in his arms. He was going to quickly turn and leave when Kurt spotted him and beckoned him over. Without a choice Sam headed towards them.

"Hey you guys!" he said as he approached "I think what happened is a real tragedy. She was still so young and has so much more music to give us."

Kurt nodded while Mercedes stiffened at the sound of his voice and lifted her head from Kurt's shoulder to look up at him. The sadness in her eyes made his insides start to knot up.

"Hey Sam." Her voice was soft.

"Hey. How are you doing?"

She shrugged and said nothing.

Kurt looked apologietic. "I really should be meeting Blaine right now. Do you mind staying and sitting with her for a bit?"

"Sure. No problem. But… I mean shouldn't it be Shane…"

Kurt took advantage of Mercedes not being able to see his face by widening his eyes as shaking his head furiously at Sam in the universal gesture of 'don't even go there'!

Stuggling to keep a triumphant smile off his face, Sam hastily changed the subject. "Have you guys eaten yet?"

"That's why I'm meeting Blaine now. Cedes won't come. She says she can't face it."

"Don't worry, I'll stay for a bit while you go."

Kurt stood and came towards him, lowering his voice to be out of earshot of Mercedes. "I'm glad you're here. I was worried about leaving her alone. Please try to get her to eat something."

"I'll try."

Kurt turned back one final time at the door and mouthed 'call me' at Mercedes before disappearing.

Sam stood frozen to the spot for a moment, completely unsure as to how he should handle this.

If it was Stacy who was this upset he would just scoop her into his arms. But with Mercedes he knew that that kind of action was off limits. _For now…_

He stood staring at her for a moment. She was sat perched on the edge of the stage, her legs swinging out in front of her. Her head was down and her arms were at her sides, hands palm down, resting next to her. She looked broken. "Do you mind if I sit?" She shrugged and made no move to raise her head.

He pulled himself up onto the stage alongside her, making sure that he was seated close, but not so close as to be invading her personal space. For now he would respect that. Today that was not what she needed. What she needed was a friend and he could be that. It was how they began after all.

At a loss as to what to say, he finally went for the safer option of letting her speak. "Do you want to talk about it?" She shook her head. They stayed in silence for several minutes more and it was killing him.

"Look. If you want me to go I will-"

"No!" Her response was quick and sharp before softening. "Stay... Please." She looked up at him properly for the first time and her eyes were bloodshot. "I never got to say, thank you for the text message. It meant a lot. You were the first person after Kurt to get in touch with me after it happened."

Sam couldn't contain his surprise. "Really? I would have thought that your-"

"Nope. He thinks I'm taking it too seriously. She was just a celebrity. It's not like she was family or anything."

"Maybe not, but she was important to _you_ and an inspiration to _you!_"

"Yeah but maybe he's right and I'm just being stupid!"

"Oh for heaven's sake Cedes! You can sing her entire back catalog off by heart. She's one of the strongest influences on what makes your music yours at the moment."

"But-"

"But nothing. If someone or something touches you then of course you will feel the loss. And don't let anybody tell you otherwise. You know, even now, my grandma still mourns the passing of Buddy Holly and he died waaaay back when! And his death was a tragedy too, but she always associates his music with dancing and courting my grandpa. His music was special to her and therefore _he_ was special to her. None of us think she's stupid for feeling that way about him."

She said nothing but smiled softly at him. "Thank you Sam."

For some reason her words made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He looked down at their hands on the stage. The nails were painted purple and the skin looked so soft and inviting. There were barely a couple of inches between them. If he moved his fingers just a little bit he could touch her…

The second his fingertips brushed hers, she yanked her hand away as if he'd given her an electric shock. Her whole body tensed and her eyes widened! "Sam!"

"Sorry! I didn't mean anything by it! I just-"

She sighed. "I know. It's just me. I shouldn't… I mean, I think it's best if you don't touch me. I- I just can't handle that right now."

Sam sincerely hoped that meant what he thought it meant while nodding with understanding and placing his hands in his lap, well away from her. He felt the sudden need to change the subject and remembered Kurt's passing words. "So have you had your lunch yet? Do you want to come and grab something?"

She shook her head and it worried him some more. "I just don't think I can face the lunch hall right now."

"Okay, I won't force you. But me being me," he grinned and reached into his bag "I just so happen to have a share bag of Cool Ranch Doritos. How about a compromise. I'll let you stay in here, not having to talk to anyone, provided you eat these with me?"

She thought about it for a moment, and then the smile was back again. "Sure, I think you can twist my arm on that one!"

Sam opened the bag and placed it on the stage between then where their hands had been. "So Cedes, I was going to bust out an impression to try and make you smile, but then I just remembered that I watched episode 178 of Naruto and wanted to ask…"

* * *

><p>"Why don't we ever go and play with Mercedes anymore?" Stacy was sprawled across his lap on the couch and suddenly burst out with the question half way through watching Ice Age. At first he wondered why she suddenly brought up the name before remembering that it was Mercedes who had given them that particular triple box set.<p>

"She's busy now. With school and stuff. It's not like she has lots of free time like she had during the summer."

"Mercedes was fun."

"Definitely."

"And I miss watching Ice Age with her!"

"So do I! But we don't always get everything we want in life. You already know that!" Sam couldn't understand why all this talk was making him so annoyed.

"I know. But maybe she could come visit or something?"

"I'm not sure-"

"With cookies! Maybe we can bake her some cookies! Can we bake her some cookies Sam?"

He sighed and stroked her hair. "Why are you asking all these questions about Mercedes all of a sudden anyway?"

"Because I asked Quinn and she said to ask you." _Did she now! _Sam made a mental note to kill Quinn when he next saw her at school.

"But I miss her! And so does Stevie! He thinks she's pretty!"

"Oh he does, does he?" Sam swallowed to quell the irrational bout of jealousy that had suddenly flared up towards his eight year old brother.

"Yes. But he says it's a shame she's a girl because girls have cooties!"

He couldn't help but laugh at that one. _In a couple of years' time Stevie will change his thinking on girls…_

Sam could see his mom on the seat across from them, a slight smirk on her face, clearly pretending that her interest was not piqued by her children's conversation and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Seeing his discomfort, Mary Evans decided to have a little fun of her own. "Is this the Mercedes that you made every pathetic excuse under the sun to avoid taking the kids to say goodbye to when we left last summer?" she asked innocently.

Sam knew that she could see that he was blushing and felt trapped. " I would have got round to it eventually. We just ran out of time, that's all."

"You had four whole days and the kids were pestering you. I think you were definitely doing some avoiding there!"

Sam suddenly found the room extremely hot and became intensely interested in the banter between Sid and Manny on the screen.

"Ok Sam, I get it. I won't pry."

He hated when his mom did that. She would use reverse psychology on him to get information and it never failed to work.

"She's just busy. That's all. And she has a boyfriend now. So it would be weird."

"What's having a boyfriend got to do with anything?" Now he really had caught his mom's attention.

"Nothing. It's just that I'm sure he wouldn't like her hanging around with-"

"They're just kids Sam."

"I know, but-"

Stacy turned to face him again "Doesn't he like kids? We'll be good. I promise!"

"I know you are baby!"

A frown crossed Stacy's forehead. "I don't think I like Mercedes' boyfriend if he doesn't like kids." She said thoughtfully.

_I don't think I like Mercedes' boyfriend either. _But Sam knew the part about him not liking kids wasn't true. It was Sam that had taken the dislike to his plans of cocoa babies with his girl. _His girl! _"I'll tell you what. Tomorrow at school I'll speak with Mercedes for you and see what we can come up with. How does that sound?"

The little girl flung his arms around his neck. "Thankyou Sammy!"

Sam pretended that he didn't notice his mom bringing her mug of coffee to her lips in a failed attempt to hide the smile that had taken up residence there.

* * *

><p>"Sam, I don't think that it's a good idea-"<p>

"It wasn't my idea, I promise! Stacy's been on at me and I promised to speak with you." They were sat in the rehearsal room, the first to arrive for Glee, and Sam had used the opportunity to mention Stacy's request to an unconvinced Mercedes.

"But it would be so weird!"

"It doesn't have to be. We don't have to stay in. We can go out. Get an ice-cream or something. Shane can come too. If that's his sort of thing…" Sam didn't want Shane there, but quite frankly, the more time he spent thinking about spending time with Mercedes and the kids, the more he liked the idea. And he hoped it would trigger some fond memories with Mercedes too. Besides, it would only serve to reinforce the idea that he was a nice guy who would make a nice boyfriend. Since their talk in the auditorium after Whitney's death, there had been a distinct softening towards him from Mercedes' side. She still kept him at arm's length, but this time the arm was bent at the elbow rather than held straight out.

"I'm just not sure…"

Sam saw a flash of blond come through the doorway and beckoned her over. "Quinn, this is all your fault! Please tell Mercedes that the kids have been asking after her non-stop!"

Quinn shot him a dazzling smile before placing herself delicately in the empty seat they had left between them. "Okay…" She turned to Mercedes. "I have to take the blame. This is my fault. I was talking to the kids after church" she glared accusingly at Sam as he hadn't been for the longest time "and they were saying how much they had missed me when they were in Kentucky and how they had missed you too because you never said goodbye to them."

Mercedes bit her lip and Sam could tell that she felt bad. "That part was my fault" he said quickly "I was supposed to bring them but… Time just went by so fast and all…"

She sighed and played with her necklace for a while. "But I can't just go out for an ice-cream with you. It would be weird!"

"I told you, Shane can come too!"

She looked him straight in the eye "And how exactly would that make things any less weird?"

_Point taken._

Quinn clearly felt the tension and pushed them both away slightly. "Okay I have an idea. How about I come too? I know the kids and I can sit with Sam to put Shane's mind at rest."

Sam looked at Mercedes who seemed to be letting the idea run through her head. He then turned his attention to Quinn. She seemed genuine. Since she'd given up on her baby gaining shenanigans, she was more like her old self and he was enjoying being around her again. Besides, he knew for a fact that sparks were currently flying between her and the new kid with the locks, Joe Hart.

After a moment's thought Mercedes finally spoke up as the rest of the class filtered into the room, followed by Mr Schue. "Okay, I'll talk to Shane about it. But I can't promise any more than that!"

Sam smiled down at his hands and made a point of avoiding Quinn's gaze which he knew would be fucking smug as hell!

* * *

><p>"Come on baby, the movie is going to start soon!"<p>

"Okay." Both Sam and Quinn could see how reluctant Mercedes was to leave but knew she had to go. Shane had been the only one around the table who clearly was not having a good time. He barely spoke three words to any of them.

"I don't like this big guy" Stacy whispered in Sam's ear. "He's grumpy!"

He smiled back at his little sister. "Maybe he fell out of bed and bumped his head this morning!" The little girl burst into a fit of giggles which she quickly stifled when Shane glared over at her. Sam felt annoyed at the way he was looking at her little sister and he felt her grab his hand underneath the table. He was about to finally lose his cool and say something when Shane suddenly stood and grabbed Mercedes' jacket. He pointedly looked at his watch and Mercedes sighed. Stevie looked to be the most sad at her departure, his crush clearly obvious, much to the amusement of Mercedes.

"Will we get to do this again?" the little boy asked.

"I hope so. Won't we Shane?" She looked over at her boyfriend who made a reply which sounded like a growl at the back of his throat before forcing a smile at the boy which looked more like a grimace. "I'm sorry, like I said, Shane is an only child and isn't used to being around kids."

"Well you'd better get used to it as you're planning on having your own!" Sam pitched in. Both Mercedes and Quinn glared at him to back down and he did so reluctantly.

Mercedes then scooped up the kids, smothering them with hugs and kisses and promising them chocolate chip cookies. Shane reluctantly held his hands out to them after shaking hands with both Sam and Quinn. Mercedes rolled her eyes at the sheer idea of shaking hands with a seven and eight year old. Despite everything, Sam forced his brightest smile. "Thanks for coming Shane. Quinn and I really appreciated you coming!" Quinn bit her lip and grabbed his leg under the table to restrain herself from laughing while Mercedes looked on at them apologetically.

"I'll see you guys on Monday then!" she said, looking reluctant to leave.

"Enjoy your movie!" said Quinn chirpily as she waved her fingers at the departing couple.

"Well…" breathed Sam "_That _wasn't in the least bit weird and uncomfortable…"

"I told you he doesn't like kids!" Pouted Stacy. "I tried to be good and I didn't make a mess!"

Quinn's voice was soothing. "I know. You were very good. I think that maybe he's just a bit shy. That's all. Like Mercedes said he's an only child and he doesn't get to play with little kids like we do so he just doesn't understand them."

"Maybe he'll rethink his cocoa babies!" muttered Sam.

"You wish! But at least Mercedes clearly had a good time with the kids. And that was the important thing."

Sam was lost in thought. "Yeah. I guess so." He ate the pieces of banana that Stacy had left at the side of her bowl. "So what time does Joe get here?"

Quinn looked at her watch. "In about 20 minutes."

"Cool. We'll wait with you til he gets here. Then _this_ little madam…" he pulled Stacy onto his lap "needs to get home to bed!"

"Aaaw! I want to stay here with Quinn."

"Sorry Stace. Someone's coming to meet her here and when he gets here I think they're going to want a little bit of alone time." He turned and purposely winked at Quinn who blushed furiously.

"Do you really think he likes me?" she asked shyly.

"Oh _absolutely!_" he assured her, thinking back to the conversation the two boys had had in the weights room…

* * *

><p>As Sam approached the rehearsal room he watched as Shane and Mercedes exchanged heated words before Shane turned and walked away.<p>

"Trouble in paradise?" he whispered to Kurt who was walking alongside him. Kurt simply rolled his eyes and hurried ahead to take the crestfallen Mercedes' arm and lead her into the room.

Sam spent the whole of Glee thinking over the disastrous behavior of Shane with the kids and the obvious tension between them outside the room. Sure Shane Tinsley was a 'nice guy and a 'perfect boyfriend' but Sam was far from done. To add to his tally of points, he had scored with the 'taking girlfriend seriously when she is upset' _and_ 'good with kids' tick boxes. So far so good, but he wasn't making progress fast enough and it was getting frustrating in more ways than one!

He finally zoned back in to the class to hear Mr Schue announce that next week would be Michael Jackson week for Glee. Yet another of Mercedes' favorite artists. Maybe he could think of one of this songs to sing to her.

Or better still…

Sam's lips curled into a smile as an idea started to form in his head. He was going to need a little bit of help from the AV department, but if it worked he would be the happiest guy alive. There is no way that she would be able to resist him any longer...

* * *

><p><em><strong>Oh yeah! Twisted Human Nature is coming up next...<strong>_


	5. Human Nature

**Auditorium. Now!**

Sam looked down at the two word text then hit send before he lost the will to go through with it.

There was a good chance that she would ignore the text and not come. But there was an even bigger chance that she would come, if only for the opportunity to chew him out for the tone of the message.

After five minutes of standing alone on stage clutching his guitar he began to panic, thinking that this was all a waste of time and she was never going to fall for it. But then there was a sound at the door and Mercedes walked into view, not looking nearly as mad as he had expected. In fact, she almost had a smile on her face.

Before he could lose his cool and not follow through he began to talk. "You know why I like this week's assignment so much? Hands down, without a doubt, one of my favorite singers of all time is Michael Jackson."

"Listen! Even if I have to hawk my weave on Ebay, I am _going_ to see the Immortal tour when it comes to Ohio!"

_And if this goes right, I might just be the one taking you there. _He raised the remote in his hand and flicked the switch. "Speaking of immortal..." he watched as Mercedes face filled with awe and wonder as the large pixel screen behind him changed from displaying the initials MJ to totally filling with the name Mercedes. "Seeing as we're going to be seeing you name in lights for the rest of our lives, I thought we might start today."

Scanning her face for her reaction he watched as she took a step towards him, but all he could see were eyes full of awe. "You did this? For me?"

"You deserve it Mercedes. This and a whole lot more. I know things have been weird between us, but they are getting better. And I was thinking… You know, all the time we've been in Glee, we never sang a duet together. So I had this crazy idea and I thought maybe we could do Human Nature. Would you sing with me? After that, you can go back to Shane. I won't stop you." _Coz the girl don't know he can sing her favorite song just as well as Artie!_

She looked at him for a moment like she was tempted before shaking her head. "Sam. You know I can't. Let's talk about this later."

But damned if Sam was going to go without a fight on this one! It had taken him so much to set this up and he wasn't going to let a second of it go to waste. Nodding to Stuart, the lights guy, he indicated for the lights to be dimmed and the band to take their positions in the band pit. Then he began to strum the opening chords trying to hold it together as he watched her back as first she froze before slowly departing. But as the verse hit a miracle happened. Despite not even breaking her stride, her voice rang out loud and true.

_Looking out across the night-time_

Sam couldn't help but smile at her voice. She was going to sing. With him. For him_._

_The city winks a sleepless eye  
>Hear his voice shake my window<br>Sweet seducing sighs  
><em>  
>Sam began with the next verse and she turned to him standing and staring with a huge smile. Sure he wasn't Michael Jackson, and his voice would never be as good as Mercedes, but he'd been practicing all week and he knew that he sure as hell sounded fantastic.<p>

_Get me out into the night-time  
>Four walls won't hold me tonight<br>If this town is just an apple  
>Then let me take a bite<em>

But it wasn't until they started to sing the chorus together that she finally started to walk down the aisle towards him and his heart felt like it was going to bust out of his chest.

_If they say, why, why? Tell 'em that is human nature  
>Why, why does he do me that way?<br>If they say, why, why? Tell 'em that is human nature  
>Why, why does he do me that way?<em>

As she approached the stage he put down his guitar and wiped his nervous sweaty palm on his jeans before reaching out to help her up on stage with him, leading her to the center of the stage.

_Reaching out to touch a stranger  
>Electric eyes are everywhere<br>See that girl, she knows I'm watching  
>She likes the way I stare<em>

They danced around each other, slowly and stupidly just like at prom, and Sam saw the genuine laughter and enjoyment in her eyes.

_If they say, why, why? Tell 'em that is human nature  
>Why, why does he do me that way?<br>If they say, why, why? Tell 'em that is human nature_

_Why, why does he do me that way?  
>I like livin' this way, I like lovin' this way<em>

As she improvised the little runs Sam felt his jeans tighten. No other voice could turn him on like that. The night of Neglect had left him painfully hard.

_If they say, why, why? Tell 'em that is human nature  
>Why, why does he do me that way?<br>If they say, why, why? Ooh, tell 'em  
>Why, why does he do me that way?<br>_  
>Suddenly they stopped dancing and stood facing each other. Suddenly serious.<p>

_If they say, why, why? Tell 'em that is human nature_

_Why?_

The music ended but their intense stare didn't. Her facial expression of happiness and peace made her radiantly beautiful. Slowly he lowered his head towards her. _Make her come to you… _He closed his eyes and felt Mercedes lips reach up and meet his.

_And... Fireworks!_

The kiss was soft and gentle, reminiscent of their first kiss the previous summer, their lips making a quiet smacking sound as they pulled apart. He opened his eyes and smiled down only to see her smiling back up at him. Then she had his shirt fisted in her hands and quickly pulled him down for a second, more intense kiss. Sam melted into it for a second before remembering where they were. He looked up in time to see Stuart and the band making a hasty exit. They knew the drill whenever one of the Glee club requested to do a performance like that. And being under threat from Puck meant that whatever they heard or saw at any such performance would remain a secret on pain of death.

Satisfied that they were gone Sam quickly pulled her in tight for another kiss, this time nibbling and biting on her lower lip before she let him in. He had missed this. He had missed this so fucking much!

Mercedes suddenly pulled back, eyes wide. "I heard Shane!"

"Don't be so-" Suddenly he heard it too. They were stuck on the stage with nowhere to go.

Sam grabbed her hand and pulled her down the steps from the stage into the band pit, sliding them both down to the floor out of sight, remembering just in time to flick the pixel board back to it's original message.

"Mercedes?" Shane's voice was louder now that he had moved from the entrance to the main auditorium. "Are you in here baby?"

She clamped her hand over her mouth to quell the sound of her loud breathing and Sam could have sworn his heart was beating loud enough for the whole school to hear. Surely they hadn't been able to hide fast enough? They had been right in the middle of the stage in full view of anyone approaching!

"Hi Shane."

"Hey Mister Schue. Have you seen Mercedes anywhere?"

"Nope. Were you expecting to see meet her here?"

"No. But I was looking for her and someone said they saw her heading this way. But I just passed the band going out and there's no one in here so I guess she's somewhere else. If you see her please tell her that I'm looking for her."

"Definitely."

Sam and Mercedes had adjusted themselves into seated positions with their backs against the walls of the band pit, doing their best not to touch any of the instruments. Unless someone actually came as far as the stage they wouldn't be seen. If someone did get that far then they would be totally screwed.

Mercedes reached to her back pocket and pulled out her phone. Sam looked over her shoulder to see the three missed calls from Shane. She had forgotten to take it off silent mode after her last class. He reached to put his hand reassuringly on her wrist but she pushed it away with a glare.

"See, I told you there'd be nobody in here!" Will's voice was back and this time it was accompanied by the unique giggle that belonged to Emma Pilsbury.

"But what if someone saw us sneak in?"

"Nobody knows. Can't I get five minutes privacy with my beautiful fiancée?"

"Hmmm… Tell me the beautiful part again and I might think about it…"

"Hmmmm… come here baby…"

Mercedes looked as if she was going to throw up and Sam thought his ears were going to bleed. Their teachers were clearly making out in what they thought was an empty auditorium. They were trapped! He looked across at Mercedes and decided that there were worse people that he could be trapped in a small space with. The whole time, he had not let go of her hand. She suddenly realized this and pulled hers away with an expression of guilt.

"I shouldn't have let that happen." She whispered sadly.

"It was always going to happen."

"You played me Sam. You knew that was my favorite song!"

"And we sounded perfect together!"

She couldn't fight the smile that played on her lips. _Damn right they did!_ "That doesn't change the fact that what we did was-"

Their whispers were interrupted by a loud squeal from Miss Pilsbury followed by a moan contented moan.

"Oh lord…" groaned Mercedes "Please do not say they are getting it on on one of those nasty green seats!"

Sam grinned at her. "We didn't have to be getting it on for me to be able to make you moan like that!" She shot him a warning glance and he pretended to ignore it. "All I would have to do is this…" He leaned over her and nuzzed his face against the sensitive spot of skin above her clavicle. He felt her gasp and try to push him away. But not too forcefully.

Emma's giggles grew louder and Sam brushed his lips along Mercedes jaw as he made his way to her ear to whisper "What do you think he's doing to her that she's enjoying so much?"

"Sam! Stopit!"

"Do you think he's got his hand on her thigh?" He placed his hand on Mercedes thigh. "Do you think he's inching his way up her skirt?"

She shoved him gently as she giggled. "Now you're just being nasty!"

He feigned innocence. "Me? I was just thinking of the things I did to you which had the same effect." Her face was trying to remain stoical but he could see that she was fighting a losing battle as his hand inched higher and higher up her denim clad thigh. "Now we all know Miss Pilsbury will be wearing one of those pretty flowing dresses that makes it really easy to get his hand into her panties. But some people…" he shot her a look of fake annoyance "choose to make things harder by wearing jeans. But you forget. I've managed to get you off through your jeans once before, and I'm pretty sure I can again providing you stay quiet and don't accidentally kick out and hit the drum kit!"

"Sam I-"

He silenced her with a soft kiss which rapidly became a hard one and his tongue slipped into her mouth at the same time as his fingers slipped between her legs. Even through the denim he could feel her heat. He wanted nothing more than to be able to grind himself up against her but the lack of space to maneuver was frustrating.

The sounds Emma was making were turning him on no end. It should be weird and yukky but being trapped in a small space with Mercedes while hearing those sounds was something else altogether. He reached over to her and pulled her onto his lap with her back against his chest.

"What are you doing?" she breathed.

"Making the most of a bad situation." He spread her legs either side of his, brought his hand back up her thigh and resumed rubbing.

"Sam you have to stop that!"

He arched his eyebrow. "Really? Think about it Cedes. Is that _really_ what you want me to do?" Her head fell back against his chest as he rubbed harder, knowing exactly where her clit would be. "Because you know you could just sit back on the floor where you were before and play Angry Birds on your phone while you listen to two people getting off just meters away from you!" Her reply was the first of what he knew would become many stifled moans of her own. Shane was right where he belonged. Far away from her thoughts. Knowing it would take far too long to get her going through her jeans and his hand would die of cramp before she got there, he reached under her top to her belly and began to undo the buttons.

"Sam, we shouldn't-"

"I know. But I've missed this. I've missed us."

As soon as he got her jeans open he slid his fingers into her panties and she threw her head back against him again. This time he buried his face in her exposed neck, reveling in her scent, both the fragrance she was wearing and the one she was rapidly producing naturally. His fingers were soon coated in her natural essence and her hips began to rock against his hand. _Oh fuck! _The happy result of that being her ass grinding against his cock through his jeans. He was already rock hard but her movements were killing him. As a punishment he slipped a finger inside of her and she let out a gasp. He immediately clamped his free hand over her mouth to stifle any further noise.

"Did you hear that?" Emma's nervous voice suddenly filled the auditorium. Mercedes and Sam froze, not daring to breathe.

"I didn't hear anything." Will's voice was muffled and Sam tried hard not to think of where exactly his face might have been.

"I thought I heard someone!"

"Shhhh… If there was someone here we would have known about it ages ago."

"I guess so…"

The moans resumed and Sam and Mercedes let out a sigh of relief. Sam smiled as he noticed how tightly she had clamped around his finger. He kept his left his hand clutched firmly over her mouth and whispered soothingly in her ear. "Relax sugar pie, they don't know we're here! Now, where were we before we got so rudely interrupted?" He slowly resumed pumping his finger slowly in and out of her as her back arched against his chest and her ass pressed his denim crushed cock in the most blissful agony.

He began to feel her lose control as his hand became sticky and he inserted a second finger. He couldn't plunge as deeply as he would have liked from this angle but it was still getting her going. He figured she probably hadn't had anything this good in a long time! Especially as she was now bucking against his hand and lap, and he was struggling to keep his hand over her mouth to prevent her from screaming. He used his thumb to stroke her clit a couple of times and completely tip her over the edge. She arched stiffly one last time before screaming silently into his hand. Only after her breathing had reached a more normal rate did he remove his hand from her mouth. He licked every trace of her cream from his fingers before helping her to button up her jeans while she recovered. They sat in silence for a few moment, listening to the sound of Will and Emma leaving the auditorium.

"We shouldn't have done that Sam." Her voice was shaky and she refused to meet his eye. "I shouldn't have let you do that."

"Let's just talk about this Mercedes."

"No! Because anytime we try to talk _this _happens. It happened last summer whenever we tried to talk seriously and now it's happening all over again. I have to break this cycle. I have a good thing with Shane and I'm not prepared to sacrifice his stability for your oversimplistic world of passion."

"That's not fair Mercedes, I-" _Oh shit! _Sam was interrupted by the sound of the bell heralding the next class. Mercedes slowly pulled herself up, stretching as she stood.

She offered him her hand. "Come on. We have the same class. It's calculus."

He shook his head. "I'll wait here. I still have a bit of a _problem._" He nodded his head down to the bulge in his jeans and she gasped. "Besides, Shane's also in that class. It'll look bad if we both walk in late and together. If you leave here you'll make it before the tardy bell. I'll stay back for a bit and… sort myself out."

"This is all my fault!" cried Mercedes. "I'm such a bad person!"

"No you're not. You could never be! I was the one who called you here. I was the one who suggested the song. I told you that if you wanted you could go back to Shane and I wouldn't stop you."

She stared at him for a long moment, unsure what to do before turning and leaving.

Sam put his head in his hands.

He has just lied.

He sure as hell _was _going to stop her going back to Shane!

* * *

><p><strong>R U guys OK? Didn't C U in class!<strong>

Sam stared anxiously at his phone. He had sent the message over an hour ago and still had no response. When he had got to calculus neither Mercedes or Shane were there and his heart had sunk. Walking to his next class he noticed that Mercedes car was no longer in the parking lot even though Shane's was.

**I'm worried about U. Where did U go?**

Still no response by the end of his next class and Sam struggled to fight the sick feeling in his stomach. He was all set to leave school and find her when his phone buzzed.

**Came home early. Told Shane we kissed and needed time to think.**

**How did he take it?**

**He cried. He forgives me but I feel like such a terrible person right now.**

**Not your fault. Totally mine. I'll talk to him.**

**NO! PLEASE! He thanked me 4 being honest. I think we can still work things in time.**

_Not if I can help it you won't _thought Sam.

**Did he get angry with U?**

**Hell no! He's not like that. He was sad. And I hate that I did that to him. He doesn't deserve it.**

**He doesn't deserve U!**

**U have no right to say that Sam!**

**I can say what I like. I don't owe him anything. Except maybe an apology of my own.**

**Just leave him Sam. You've done enough damage.**

**No. This is important!**

**Nothing you can possibly say could be of any help right now. Just leave Shane alone. Please!**

**I'll think about it.**

**And Sam, I don't think we should speak anymore either. I'm sorry.**

**I don't think I can do that.**

Sam waited for a response to his final message but didn't get one. Checking his phone's outbox he noticed the message status was 'undelivered'. She had switched off her phone!

He sighed. There was no way on earth he was going to lose Mercedes. And there was no way on earth he was going to allow her to patch things up with Shane. The thin end of the wedge had made an impression and now it was time for the thick end to be driven through. When he had said he would fight to get her back, he meant every word, and if fighting dirty was the way to do it, then Shane Tinsley was going to find out exactly what he was up against.

It was always important to know your enemy and he knew that Shane was a nice guy. Up until now he hadn't know how to compete with that. But now Sam had just had the idea to beat all ideas. He would turn Shane's biggest strength into his weakness. Even nice guys have their breaking points and Shane Tinsley was about to find his.

Sam wanted Mercedes.

Shane had Mercedes.

And Sam would do everything in his power to get her back, even if it meant sinking to the lowest low. Shane could forgive a kiss. But how much would it take before he stopped forgiving?

Sam watched as Shane made his way to his locker to pick up his books for study hall. His body language showed utter dejection. By the time he slammed the door shut on it Sam was there.

"Look Shane, I know I'm the last person in the world you want to see right now-"

"Damn right!" Shane looked like he wanted to hit him, but Sam knew that big as the guy was, he hated violence.

"But I feel terrible for what happened and know that I at least owe it to you to apologize in person."

Shane glared at him suspiciously as he continued his little speech. "Seriously. I know what I did to both you and Mercedes was wrong. I've tried to call her but she won't speak to me but I'm hoping that at least you'll hear me out."

Shane sighed and looked down at him reluctantly. "Alright. Let's go outside and sit on the bleachers. But you only have _five minutes! _After that I want your skinny ass out of my sight!"

Shane turned and started walking. Sam followed behind him so that the larger boy could not see the smirk that was on his face. Operation MINE had just pulled out the big guns, and Shane Tinsley was like a lamb to the slaughter…

* * *

><p><em><strong>Badboy Sam is about to come out in full effect...<strong>_


	6. A Fine Line Between Hate And ?

_**Another angsty one! Sam needs to go through a little bit of character development over the next couple of chapters so please bear with it.**_

* * *

><p><em>Mission<em>_ accomplished!_

_Mercedes was going to be angry at first, but now she's free to be his!_

Sam walked away from the bleachers with a soft smile, quelling the niggling guilt that he felt in his chest. This wasn't personal. It was business. The business of getting his girl back. Shane was just collateral damage. He had simply been the wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In some ways it would have made Sam feel better if Shane had hit him. It would have given him a justifiable reason to hate the guy. But instead his rival had just sat back and listened with an expression of utter hurt and betrayal. The big guy simply looked crushed. It reminded Sam of whenever his mom told him off. It was always so much easier when she got mad and screamed at him than it was when she looked at him with the big eyes that Stacey had inherited and told him just how _disappointed_ she was by his behavior. That one was really hard to take.

But Sam wanted Mercedes. He wanted Mercedes more than he had ever wanted anyone before. And something was driving him to stop at nothing until she had her. She needed to be his. Then, and only then, would he be able to have peace. His life in Kentucky had been all kinds of fucked up. Simply because she wasn't with him. He needed the calm that she brought him. And he was addicted to her body like crack. Even now, his fingers still smelled of her and it was driving him insane!

He took a deep breath as he pulled his letterman jacket tighter around himself. What he'd done was wrong, but he didn't really give a shit about that. Shane wasn't any of his business anymore. The guy was never going to want Mercedes back now. That was fine with him because she was never truly Shane's in the first place. Every time he had seen them walk around the school hand in hand his stomach had knotted and his fists had clenched. And every time she had turned back to look at him while walking away it had been like a knife cutting him.

But no more.

Sam checked his phone as he headed back to his car. It wasn't worth going to study hall now. The final message he had sent to Mercedes was still undelivered. He contemplated going to her house then decided against it. She had mentioned something about her mom having a week off and he couldn't guarantee that she would be alone in the house.

* * *

><p><em>Hell hath no fury like-<em>

Mercedes Jones was furious. He could tell while she was still at a distance. Clearly the day off school she had being 'sick' had done nothing to lessen the aura of fury that surrounded her. Mike stood next to him, obliviously chatting away about something to do with Tina. As Mercedes approached he suddenly spied her. "Wow! She looks mad! I pity the poor person who's just upset her!"

Sam swallowed loudly in an attempt to quell the rising sense of panic that he was feeling. There was also another rising feeling in his body, but this one was caused by the simple wool dress that she was wearing with matching shoes. Something about the way that it clung to her curves. Something about the way she moved-

Mike was still smiling. "Wow, she's heading this way!" He turned and looked behind them. "I wonder who it is that she's about to go all Lima Heights over?"

For the first time, Sam began to feel some regret over his actions. What if this didn't actually pan out the way that he had imagined? He actually felt the moment that the penny dropped with Mike.

"Dude! I think she's heading over to you! What the hell could you have done to make her so mad? The way she's glaring, I think I might take my chances with a crazy Santana over her!"

_Not what Sam was needing to hear! _And yet she looked so hot with her mad expression!

For a girl with short legs, she reached him with amazing speed. Her eyes were trained firmly on Sam and they were fiery as hell. "Mike, can you leave us please!" They were her first words. She needn't have bothered. Mike was already making himself scarce. Having a girlfriend he knew that sometimes it was best just to run and take cover as you saw the storm approaching. "I'll see you guys in Glee!" He muttered as he hastily made his exit.

"Not today!" she called after him. "Tell Mr Schue we can't make it. We have some unfinished business with Shane."

Sam swallowed audibly. He didn't like where this was going. _Why the hell was she still going on about Shane? And why the hell had she used the word 'we'?_

Mercedes marched right up into Sam's personal space and jabbed him squarely in the chest with her finger, not caring that the manicured nail dug into him. "What the fuck were you thinking Sam! I told you not to speak to him! One simple request and you couldn't follow through. I should have known you would fuck things up!"

Sam opened his mouth to speak but words failed him. After everything that had happened between them in the auditorium, why was she still banding that fucker's name about like he still meant something to her?

"I- I don't understand" was the most that he could manage.

"Exactly! You're stupid and you're selfish and you think with your little brain instead of your big one! And now, thanks to you, the only relationship I've really cared about is over. So I need you to fix this and I need you to fix it NOW!"

She started to head down the rapidly deserting hallway, leaving him no choice but to follow. He was angry and confused. "You didn't care about our relationship?"

She stopped walking and spun around to face him. "No Sam. _You _didn't care about our relationship! If that's what it could be called. After being with Shane I most definitely would _not _call it a relationship."

Her words hurt him and only made him angrier. He knew she was going to be angry, but he didn't expect her to goad him like this! He stepped closed and used his height to tower over her. "What kind of relationship could you and _him_ had if it was all based on lies?"

Her voice faltered a little and she widened the distance slightly. "I didn't lie to him!"

Sam smirked. Now he had her. "But you didn't tell him the whole truth either."

Her face fell. "I-"

"You told him that we kissed. But that's _all_ that you told him. I went to him to apologize and make things right. You always used to tell me that confession is good for the soul. Only I found myself 'confessing' a whole heap of things that he didn't already know about. What we did was more than just a peck on the lips! What we did that night at your house-"

"And you had _no right_ to tell him about that!"

"I thought you guys were honest and open with each other. I thought that he already knew!" Sam knew damn well that she hadn't told Shane. He had counted on it and had enjoyed every second of 'accidentally letting that piece of information' slip to the devastated boyfriend.

"I decided- I decided I wouldn't mention that. It was a one off. A mistake. A moment of weakness. Never to be repeated!"

"Was the auditorium a moment of weakness too? Coz I recall that being a pretty long moment!"

She hissed at him with her eyes shining with anger. "You did that on purpose! You told him those things to drive a wedge between us!"

"If you loved him you wouldn't have cheated on him!"

"It's not that simple-"

"Yes it is! We would never cheat on each other-"

"There is no _we-_"

"There could be-"

"I can't do this right now-" She spun on her heel and tried to get away but he reached forward and grabbed her arm. Their connection felt like a bolt of electricity flying up his arm. She gasped, clearly feeling something too.

"Look at me Mercedes!" Her eyes stayed trained on the hand that he refused to remove from her forearm. He could see her breathing heavily. "Tell me that you feel that spark when Shane touches you!" She didn't move or respond and it only made him angrier. Her whole manner was frustrating the hell out of him. "I need you to look me in the eye and tell me that you love him and want to be with him. Because if you can't then I'm not going to give up in my pursuit of you."

A tear suddenly rolled down her cheek. "It's not that simple."

"Yes it is! You guys have broken up. Just stay broken up. Stay broken up and be with me!"

Somehow that sentence triggered her anger again. "And why the hell would I want to be with you?" Finally she looked back up at him. "I hate you Sam. I hate the way you make me feel! I hate the control that you have on me! Shane treats me well. He treats me _right! _He's proud of me and he's proud to be seen with me. With you it's all about sex and nothing else. I can't do that. It's not who I am Sam!"

"We didn't just have sex! We watched movies and we-"

"We mostly just had sex Sam. We did it while we were watching movies, hell we even did it when we were supposed to be being responsible babysitters! It was never a proper relationship. And now that I understand that I resent it."

"And you resent me to?"

She nodded. "You hurt me Sam. Then you left and finally I started to be able to get my shit together again. But then you show up out of nowhere, fuck my brains out and screw up all my shit all over again! You're pathetic and immature Sam, and today is the day I stop allowing you to influence my life!"

_Did she just fucking call me pathetic? _He didn't realize he'd been backing her up against the lockers until he heard the sound of her back resting against them. _There was no way in hell that he was pathetic! _There was a loud bang as he smashed his fist against the locker right next to her head. He instantly regretted it. He wasn't violent and would never be violent with a girl. But Mercedes didn't even flinch, her eyes didn't even flicker from the way that they were locked in his. "You will never be half the man that Shane is and that's why I will never give him up! He may not want anything to do with me now, but you _will _come and you _will _fix this if you have any shred of human decency in you!"

Sam was so furious he could barely breathe, he leaned forward, wanting to yell or scream or threaten her, but all he could think of was how _fucking hot_ she looked as she glared at him with her nose flared and her breath coming out in short pants.

They remained like that, both breathing heavily and loudly, staring at each other in a stalemate of rage, not quite sure if they wanted to hit each other or rip each other's clothes off. Suddenly they were interrupted by approaching voices in the distance, students had already left or were safely inside their extra-curricular classes so it could only be teachers that were heading towards them. But this was so not over! Without even thinking, Sam quickly grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into the nearest janitor's closet. Realizing too late what he was doing she began to protest and fight him off but it was no use. Sam flicked the switch inside and the low wattage single light bulb made a pathetic attempt at illuminating the room.

Before he knew it he had Mercedes backed up against the wall.

"Let me out Sam!"

"I can't. We need to clear the air. We need to finish this!" He leaned forward and rested his hands against the wall either side of her head, effectively trapping her.

"What are you doing Sam? Because if you're trying to intimidate me this isn't working."

He just smiled a thin smile and shook his head.

"And if you're thinking of hitting or attacking me then I'll scream!"

He shook his head. "I'd never hit you. But neither will I pass up on an opportunity to make you scream!"

She glared at him. "You're sick. You know that?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. Probably. But I'm not a threat to you." He backed as far away from her as he could in the small space and folded his arms, staring at her with a smirk. He nodded towards the door. "It isn't locked. I won't stop you from leaving."

That took the wind out of her sails. She looked from him to the door uncertainly.

"But we both know you can't stay away from me forever." They returned to the deadlocked stare that they'd had by the lockers before being interrupted and it was Sam who finally broke the silence.

"Well then!" The words exploded from his mouth and startled her. She stared back at him, confused. He simply smiled at her. "None." He mouthed quietly.

"What?"

"Zero!"

"What the hell is zero?"

"Zero is the number of fucks i give about the the fact that Shane now no longer wants anything to do with you!"

He crossed the small space that had been between them and crashed his lips down onto hers. Hard.

Her hands began to pummel his chest and push him away, but her mouth belied her actions, involuntarily releasing a moan as her tongue battled with his, pulling him closer, matching his agression equally until the lack of air finally forced them apart.

Sam stepped back from her slightly. And they stood a few seconds of just staring hard at each other, panting loudly and catching their breaths. Then he felt it. The sudden sharp pain on his cheek.

_Crack! _Mercedes had slapped him hard across the face and it stung like hell. "I hate you Sam! You disgust me! You make my skin crawl, the way you stare at me- no the way you leer at me like some perverted sex obsessed creep. All the time! Don't think i haven't noticed-"

He grabbed her wrist and pinned it against the wall next to her so that she couldn't hit him again before bringing his face milimeters from hers. "Not as much as I hate you!" he growled in a low voice. And he did. He realized that he truly did hate her. He hated her chocolate drop eyes and her cute button nose. He hated her full sensual lips and the delicious way that they tasted. He hated the way those lips would tighten into a pout when she was angry with him and he especially hated the way that she would bite just one side of her bottom lip when she was concentrating hard on something. He hated that those lips would sometimes curve into a smile that was reserved for him and him alone. He hated the way her lips looked right now, already starting to swell from their kiss. He hated the funky clothes she wore and the way that her breasts were large and full yet still high and perky. He hated the softness of her belly and the curvy swell of her hips that fitted just right in his hands. He hated that she had an ass that could make a grown man weep and the thing that he hated the most was that she had the power to make him _so fucking crazy_! She strained against his grip but there was no way that he was going to let her go. "You've totally fucked up my life! You know that? I had a good thing going until you came along!"

She narrowed her eyes as she glared back at him. "And you make me miserable!"

"Yeah well sometimes misery likes company!" He buried his face in her neck, listening to her gasp as she arched towards him. "Besides," he pulled her wrists above her head and held them up there with one hand while using the other to ghost its way up her thigh, "As I recall, all the times I made you whimper, it was _never_ out of misery!"

She glared up at him with lust filled eyes, daring him to follow through.

_Challenge accepted._

He pressed her roughly up against the wall, letting go of her wrists so that he could grab her ass. She moaned, tilting her head back as he kissed her neck and using her freshly released hands to claw into his hair. She then reached under his sweater to touch the skin on his belly before lightly scratching over his abs with her nails.

"Sam…" His name was on her lips and he responded by claiming those lips back as his own, crushing them with his kiss. This wasn't the soft kiss that happened after Human Nature. This was an angry possessive kiss. A kiss which told her that despite the fact that he was mad at her, he didn't give a fuck about anyone else because he could not nor ever would let her go.

He bit her neck while trailing his fingers along her thigh underneath her dress before moving his lips back her ear. "You're wore a dress today because you knew it would make it easier for me to fuck you!"

Her reply was another whimper as he nibbled on her lower earlobe and gently tugged at it with his teeth. "You're a bastard Sam!"

He smiled down at her. "And I ain't even sorry! Coz you know you love it! You can't stay away from me. We can't stay away from each other. Anyone else will only ever be in the way."

By this point Sam had worked his hand up her dress and was rubbing his finger over the damp panties covering her core. "You're already dripping for me Mercedes. Ain't no other man who can make you feel like this!"

With a frustrated whimper she reached for his jeans but he pushed her hands away, pressing harder against her core. "And I would just like to complement you on your choice of wearing stockings rather than pantyhose today. It was an excellent decision! Makes things so much easier!"

She threw her head back, banging it against the wall slightly as his pushed her panties aside and slipped his middle finger inside her, far deeper than he had in the auditorium. "Does this feel good?"

Mercedes moaned and Sam wasn't satisfied with the answer. "I said, _does this feel good?_"

She nodded but that still wasn't good enough. "I can't hear you Mercedes."

"Yes! Yes it feels good!"

"How good?"

"Ugghhhh.." He inserted a second finger and she lost the power of speech. He smiled at her response and the smile widened as he felt her reach for his belt. This time he didn't resist and soon he was moaning in pleasure as she reached inside and began stroking his painfully restrained cock.

It had missed her touch. It had missed her touch so fucking much!

Before he knew it they were totally gone. He had one hand behind her ass pulling her into him while the other was pressed palm against the wall with one of her stocking clad knees hooked over it, holding her open as he drove into her again and again. So hot. So tight. So wet. And so fucking _his! _His hips went into autopilot, disconnecting from his brain as he groaned with every slick wet slap of his hard body into her soft one. He could feel her cream flicking onto her thighs and his belly from the impact as he plowed into her, rage, frustration and desire combining in a sexual explosion.

After far too few thrusts Sam felt it swirling in the bottom of his stomach. The anger, the pain, the emotion and the cum, all mixing together for their impending explosive release. "Mercedes!" He pumped even harder than before, driving her higher against the wall, her foot slowly leaving the ground until she was held up against the wall by nothing but the force of his body and the power of his thrusts.

Her arms tightened around his neck. "Don't drop me!"

"Never!" How could she not know? How did she not understand that he could never ever let her fall?

Even the sudden sound of one of her shoes slipping off and hitting the ground with a thud was not enough to break his momentum. She clawed with her free leg, trying to wrap it around his waist but failing because he had all the momentum. It was frantic, messy, desperate and not even particularly comfortable but it was the release that they both needed from their tension. It should have been laughable, him with his pants around his knees, her with her dress bunched up and panties flung aside. It was raw, but it summed up exactly the way they were feeling right now. He felt her come hard, whimpering into his neck as she shuddered between him and the wall. He continued driving into her depths, extending her orgasm as the swirling left his belly, shooting its way through his pulsating cock and releasing into his condo-

Shit!

FUCKING SHIT!

_SHIT JUST GOT SUPER FUCKING REAL!_

For the first time in his entire life he had actually forgotten to wear a condom.

He quickly pulled out, gently lowering them both to their knees.

Mercedes stared up at him, wide eyed with shock. Sam stared back at her, still gasping and catching his breath. _What the hell were you supposed to say in a situation like this?_

As always, Sam's automatic response was word vomit. His voice was soft and almost childlike.

"Oh my god Cedes. I am _soo _sorry. You know that if you get pregnant I'll stand by you. Like, forever!" All she did was continue to stare at him wide eyed, her lips moving but no sound coming out as he continued, "You _do _know that, right?"

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><p><em><strong>Well that was all kinds of messed up wasn't it? A bit like last night's episode by all accounts. We don't get it til tomorrow night in the UK but I already know i'm going to be bitterly disappointed in my shipping of Samcedes but at least i get my Quick at long last! I may even have to edit Joe out of this fic and put Puck in. Idk, i'm just pissed with the fucking Finchel Show right now. RIB just don't know how to handle the hotness that is Samcedes!<strong>_


	7. Truth Bombs Part 1

**_Guys you are all amazing! It took me 2 years to work up the courage to post on this site because I was worried about getting hate but the response has been unbelievable and I really do appreciate it._**

**_Thanks so much to all of you for keeping me going and keeping me motivated._**

**_And yeah, Samcedes finally start to look like a couple in the final episode. Go figure!_**

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><p><em>"Oh my god Cedes. I am soo sorry. You know that if you get pregnant I'll stand by you. Like, forever!" All she did was continue to stare at him wide eyed, her lips moving but no sound coming out as he continued, "You do know that, right?"<em>

Awkward didn't begin to describe the atmosphere.

Sam finally managed to curb his word vomit and Mercedes just kept staring at him wordlessly, making him fight the urge to start up again.

Finally she pointed to her purse. He grabbed it from where it had been unceremoniously dropped and she rooted around in it for a second before pulling out a small packet of Kleenex. She silently handed him one to clean himself up before using another to wipe up the fluid which was starting to run down between her legs.

Sam felt awful as he straightened himself up. He reached towards her but she slapped his hand away, finally meeting his eyes. "What you just said-"

"Mercedes. It's all my fault. I swear I have _never _forgotten to use a condom before today! I don't know what happened- I mean I _do _know what happened but-"

She shook her head and refused to meet his eyes again. "I can't let you take all of the responsibility. I noticed and I could have stopped you but I didn't."

_What the-_

"Don't stare at me like that Sam! I wasn't trying to trap you. I'm on the pill." She smiled bitterly and let out an ironic chuckle. "As soon as my mom found out I was going on my first date with Shane she marched me to the doctor. She says if I ever got pregnant my dad would kill me first then her second, and she's decided that she's far too young to die."

Sam released an audible sigh of relief and she looked up at him unhappily. "So I guess that lets you off the hook. Besides-" she attempted to scrub at a stain on her dress which only resulted in making it worse. "-you pulled out before it all- shit I look like Monica Lewinksi! This dress is ruined!"

Sam tried to resist but he couldn't help the Bill Clinton impression that burst out of his mouth "I did not have sexual rela-"

The look she shot him was pure hate. "Bad timing Sam. _Very_ bad timing!"

He hung his head. He hadn't been trying to make light of the situation. It's just that whenever he felt out of his depth he tended to hide behind his impressions. Usually it just made him look like a dork but right now it was making him look like a jerk and he didn't mean it. "I'm sorry Cedes, it just came out-"

"I know. I just- I just can't deal with that right now! Can't we just talk properly? Usually when we tried to talk it just ended up as sex, but now we've already got that part over and done with we might actually end up getting somewhere!"

"What do you want to talk about?"

"This hot mess that is us!"

"It doesn't have to be a mess!"

"I know. But it is. And it's not healthy because there's something about you that keeps me coming back even though I know that you're just going to treat me like shit!"

"I wouldn't!"

"You _did_, you _are_ and you _will_!"

Sam frustratedly ran his fingers through his hair. "You're not being fair!"

"You weren't being fair with what you said to Shane. He may have taken it innocently but I _know_ that you had a malicious intent and I'm not afraid to call you out on it!"

"Okay so maybe I can't stand the guy. Can you blame me?"

"Whatever we had was gone before you left. You can't expect to just pitch back up all of a sudden and carry on where we left off. It's not like I've sat around doing nothing but pine over you since you've been gone."

"No you haven't. You've been busy practising your new _skills _with your new boyfriend."

"Like you weren't sleeping with girls in Kentucky!"

"I didn't know I was coming back!"

"And neither did I!"

"But you didn't waste any time!"

"Neither did you!"

It was a stalemate. Yet again.

Mercedes glared at him. "At least I had the decency to do it within the context of a relationship rather than mindlessly sleeping around!"

"Mine wasn't mindless!" _Actually it was but…_

"You just went back to what you've always known. I'm not surprised." I bet they were pretty little things.

Actually, they were curvy chocolate skinned things but that wasn't even the point. "Why do you think so little of me Mercedes?"

"Because you think so little of me!"

"No I don't. I want you to be my girlfriend. Properly this time."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why?"

Sam took a moment to think about it this time. He'd fallen once at this hurdle before and he didn't want to do it again. "Because I care?"

She shook her head. "You can't answer a question with a question Sam. If you knew the answer you would have been able to just say it."

Sam could feel his frustration rising again. "Why do you always have to complicate things? Why do you always have to make things bigger than they actually are?"

"And why do you always have to run and hide in your frigging cave whenever you're actually required to think about what you're really feeling?" She started to stand, taking it slowly to allow the blood to return to her legs and the tingling sensation of pins and needles to abate. "I think we're done here."

Sam also stood. "So what does Shane have that I don't?"

"A heart."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"It means that he actually gives a shit about me. About what I think and how I feel. About how his actions will make me feel and how he can make be happy. And because of that I care about him too. I never wanted to hurt him. He doesn't deserve it."

"I really don't see why you care!"

"I care because caring is what you do when you're in a relationship. Caring is about thinking about more than just yourself. You should try it sometime Sam. It's really interesting!"

"I care about people!"

"You don't know how you feel Sam. And until you learn to understand how you feel you will never be able to understand how others feel. You have flashes of being this amazing person, when you're unguarded, when you're not thinking, but then the rest of the time you just end up trying too hard but you're not fooling anyone other than yourself!"

"What the hell is unguarded!"

"You need to let your heart speak before your brain!"

"Mercedes you're not making any sense!"

"It will make sense to you one day. For example, what did you mean just now when you said forev-"

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU KIDS DOING IN HERE!" They were both stunned and turned to face the janitor. It had completely escaped their notice that they were still in his closet and that school had long finished.

Sam panicked. The guy looked as if he wanted to kill them. Mercedes just looked embarrassed and quickly shot out past him. Sam rapidly followed, muttering his apologies as he went. "You kids are just nasty! You hear me, NASTY!"

He headed after Mercedes who was speedily walking towards the exit. "Cedes! Wait up!"

She did no such thing, picking up her pace even faster. He caught up with her and tapped her shoulder. He knew that his face looked as confused as Finn's usually did but he really just didn't get it. "Please Mercedes. You have to help me here. You wanted to be a proper couple, I want you to be my girlfriend. What's the difficulty?"

"The difficulty is _you_! You're such a-" Failing to come up with a word she simply let out a frustrated sigh. She turned and walked to her car with him in hot pursuit. "Talk to me Mercedes!" He leaned against her car door, preventing her from getting in. "You can't deny that we have something, you and me. Let's just go with it and see where it takes us!"

She shook her head. "I can't. I won't!"

"Why not?"

"You say you want me to be your girlfriend but it's always a statement not a question. Have you actually _asked _me if that's what I want?"

Sam felt his frustration rising. Surely he'd already made it abundantly clear that's what he wanted and she'd made it more than clear that she wanted it too! All he had to do was give her what she wanted. "Ok, Mercedes, will you be my girlfriend?"

She looked strangely shocked and taken aback by the question, as if she genuinely didn't expect it. "Well?"

She held up her hand to stop him from talking while she was thinking. _Why was it taking her so damn long to say yes?_

He watched as the expression in her eyes slowly changed, from questioning thought to sudden understanding. From understanding to determination.

"No Sam. I will not be your girlfriend."

_What the fuck?_

Sam took a couple of steps back in shock. "What do you mean you won't be my girlfriend?"

"I'm saying no to you Sam."

"But I thought it's what you wanted?"

"So did I. But I was wrong. I don't want this after all!"

Sam did his best not to raise his voice. "And are you going to tell me why not? Coz you sure as hell were wanting me earlier!" He could feel his face getting red, her answer had really upset him.

"Because now that I've thought about it, I've realised something very important. I love you but I don't _like _you!" He went to speak but she stopped him. "You're an arrogant smug bastard who knows that I'll keep running back to you over and over again. But I'm not going to. Because I deserve better!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I did want to go out with you. But it was a different version of you. This cute guy called Sammy who I hung out with last summer. He was cute because he wasn't afraid to be himself. He made me laugh and smile, we could talk for hours and he made me feel wanted. But that guy's gone and has been replaced by some Blondie who swaggers around thinking that he owns me, thinking that he has the right to hurt people that I care about and thinking that he has the right to treat me like his personal plaything!"

"I don't treat you like that!"

"That's how I _feel _like I'm being treated. Do you have any idea about how I actually _feel _in all of this? Do you care what all of this is doing to me inside my head?"

"Of course I care-"

"No Sam. You're just saying what you think I want to hear. You've turned into this person that I can't relate to. Shane has never done anything to you but you insist on hurting him over and over. You swagger around in your letterman jacket shooting sex looks at me, knowing that eventually I'll crumble."

"But you did!"

"Yes I did! And I hate myself for it. Right now you're an unlikable selfish person and you've turned me into the same!" He watched helplessly as tears started to stream down her face. "I've lied and I've cheated and I've become someone that I don't like either."

"That's not-"

"LET ME FINISH! You used to say you liked me because I told things exactly as they were. So I'm doing it right now. You're a horrible person and I'm calling you out on it. I've become a horrible person too and I'm calling I _myself _out on it. Quinn cheated with a kiss. I cheated by having sex, and then I lied about it. And then I _kept on_ lying. And then it happened again. I hate that I've become that person. I took the moral high ground with Quinn and Santana for what they did to you but what I've done is much worse. I can't even look at myself in the mirror anymore. I can't pretend that I can just make this alright. And I sure as hell can't let you hurt me again!"

She opened the car door and shot him a pained look. "I can't be with you Sam. I can't be with anyone until I sort myself out and find out who _I _am. I swear from this point on I'm going to try and fix this twisted version of myself, and I suggest that you try and do the same!"

Before Sam could say another word she had slipped into the car and driven away in a tearful haze, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

* * *

><p>She was pulling books from her locker when he saw her the next morning. He quietly stepped up behind her and then tapped her right shoulder while ducking to her left side. As always, she looked the wrong way before facing him.<p>

Her eyes were not welcoming.

He forced a grin. "So I was thinking about what you said last night and I agree that I have been a total jerk." He handed her a heart shaped box of chocolates which she pushed right back into his chest.

"Sam you can't just bribe me. This doesn't take one night to fix!"

Sam's face fell. He'd thought long and hard about what she said and come to the conclusion that he had been rude. He hadn't asked her out properly. If he had made an effort to be more polite things would have gone his way. After all, she was clearly still hot for him!

"But I thought-"

She scowled at him. "No Sam. You _didn't_ think. And that's you're problem. From now on, I just need you to leave me alone. It's not a big request but hopefully one that you will respect."

And then she was gone.

Sam stood, still clutching the box of chocolates to his chest, wondering what the hell had just happened when his day quickly became infinitely worse. He was so lost in thought watching Mercedes walk away that he never saw him coming. It wasn't until he was totally winded as his back was slammed up against the lockers that he actually understood what was happening.

"What part of Mercedes wanting you to leave her alone do you NOT understand!"

Sam winced, the air having been knocked out of his lungs by the impact rendered speech impossible. All he could do was try to catch his breath as he stared up into the fury filled eyes of Shane Tinsley.

And something told him that his second encounter with the linebacker was going to be nowhere near as pleasurable as the first...

This was a day which had started badly and was about to get a hell of a lot worse...

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><p><strong><em>So yeah, I was never going to make Mercedes get pregnant but I needed Sam to panic into word vomit.<em>**


	8. Truth Bombs Part 2

**_Okay so after giving it some thought I think I should have made Truth Bombs one single longer chapter coz now it feels like it's dragging out too long. Oh well, hindsight is 20:20 and all that! This chapter is sort of 2 chapters put together into one so there is a little time jump in the middle. But hopefully it will all make sense! It's the only way to keep things moving even if it does make this chapter longer than originally planned. I decided to try and go for something a little different than my usual (yet again) so I hope this works. (Sorry to do all my writing experimentation on you guys!)_**

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><p>Sam felt his feet leaving the ground as Shane lifted him with one hand by the collar of his Letterman jacket. He shot panicked stares around him at the few remaining students in the hall who had all suddenly found the floor to be the most interesting thing in in the world.<p>

Shane's deep voice was a harsh whisper. "I could smash your head against these lockers or I could smash my fist into your face. But luckily for you, that kind of intimidation doesn't sit right with me."

And for that Sam was truly thankful, although he suspected his back was still going to be bruised as a result of the locker shove. Yet Shane wasn't finished. "But that doesn't mean you're not going to get schooled Evans!"

Before he could even reply, the larger boy tightened his grip on his Letterman jacket and literally dragged him into the nearest classroom which, just happened to be empty. "Have a seat Evans!" Shane shoved him towards the nearest desk and Sam knew the wisest thing would be to do as he was told considering he had no idea of what was about to go down. It wasn't worth attempting to fight someone of Shane's size. There was no way he could possibly win and it would only serve to make Mercedes hate him more than she already did, which, despite everything, is not what he wanted right now. Trusting in the fact that Shane was highly unlikely to literally beat the living shit out of him he took a seat and waited.

"I sat like a fool and listened to you say all your shit so now you're going to sit and listen to a few truths!" Shane glared at him with angry eyes. "You're a shithead Sam! You had a good thing and _you_ screwed it up. _I_ had a good thing and _you_ screwed it up. I have every reason to want to beat you to a pulp, but luckily I'm the better person."

Shane stared hard at him, stroking the stubble on his chin as he continued. "Let me break it down for you. I feel for Mercedes what she feels for you. Sadly it's the same thing that you also feel, only you feel it for your dick! I love her, but she doesn't love me so I let her go. She loves you, but you don't love her so she's let you go. You love your dick and there ain't nothing going to get between the two of you." Sam wanted to smile but luckily something told him just in time that it really wasn't that funny.

Instead stared back at him with defiant eyes. "And what makes you think that I will back away from Mercedes?"

Shane smiled and rubbed his moustache. "Because I may not be the kind of guy to risk his scholarship to Ohio State by smashing up your pretty little face, but I have plenty of friends who don't go to this school who will do anything for me. And these are friends with _nothing_ to lose."

Sam swallowed audibly. The threat was clear.

"I'm watching you Evans! I'm watching you very carefully! If I so much as see you make Mercedes even slightly sad, I'll make you wish your parents had kept your skinny little ass in Kentucky for good!"

But Sam refused to go down without a fight. "And what if I don't want to leave her alone?" he asked quietly without breaking eye contact.

Shane grabbed him by the collar and lowered his voice to match Sam's, his face uncomfortably and threateningly close as he lifted Sam slightly out of his seat. "When I first met Mercedes she was messed up over you. Then you came back and messed her up all over again. I may not be with her anymore, but I swear, if you do anything to hurt her, then it will be _you_ that gets messed up this time!"

Deciding that it would be wise to say no more Sam simply nodded and the larger boy released him before starting to walk away.

Shane suddenly stopped and turned to face him one last time. "I mean it Evans. If you can't love her, then leave her the hell alone!"

With those words he finally left the room, leaving Sam alone with his thoughts.

* * *

><p>"What happened?" Sam spun his head as he left the room to see a concerned Quinn standing next to the doorway with her arms folded.<p>

"I don't want to talk about it." He hooked his thumbs into his pockets and started to walk away.

"Quit playing Sam. I know Shane would never hurt a fly."

"Sometimes words hit harder than fists."

Her eyes narrowed at him in understanding. "Let me guess. You got a taste of your own medicine. You used the truth to hurt him and now he's done the same to you. Only I'm sure his was far less malicious."

"Look, what do you want from me?"

"What do I want? What do I want?" her green eyes sparkled with the intensity of her stare. "A certain soul sister of mine is in pieces at the moment and I'm feeling terrible for ever having given you any support for her. I like you as a friend, but right now I'm thinking it's led me to doing another friend wrong."

He rolled his eyes. "So you think she should be with Shane too?"

She shook her head. "I never thought that she should be with Shane. But the way things were with them I honestly thought that they would have reached their natural conclusion long before now. He's a good guy, but there's no passion there."

"What did you know about me and Mercedes?"

"More than she's ever told me. I lived with her while I was pregnant Sam. We bonded. We learned to read each other." She looked down at her hands. "Even though we weren't as close as before, for which I fully take the blame, I could tell something was going on with someone last summer but didn't know with who. I had to find out through Jacob Ben Israel just like everyone else. But from the second you stepped back here I noticed that something about you had changed. Something about you has become her. I could tell from the moment you opened your mouth when I propositioned you on your first day back. You never had sass before!"

He smiled tightly. "I have sass?"

"Yeah. I like to think so. But as Mercedes would say, you also have foolishness in you too. When I propositioned you on your first day back I truly believed what she had said about you just being a summer fling, but then you quickly revealed where your heart really lay."

"My heart?"

"Shut up and listen Sam! I'm going to keep this short and sweet. You said you loved me and we both know for a fact that you didn't mean it. Yet somehow that actually made it easier to say. It's easier to be with someone that you just like than it is to make yourself vulnerable and confess to the person you love." She paused for a moment and frowned. "You need to decide what you want."

"I want Mercedes!"

"I know you do Sam. But _why_? You need to work out what your motives are. Do you want Mercedes for superficial reasons, just like what you and I had together? Or do you really want to _be with_ Mercedes? For something real. For something that can be a little bit scary but ultimately truly great!"

For some reason her line of questionning annoyed him. "Since when are you such an expert on this Quinn?"

She shot him a hurt look but refused to bite the bait. "I'm not an expert Sam. I've screwed up so many times I can't bear to think about it. But there comes a time when you do have to think about. Sometimes somebody comes along in your life and they make you reassess everything that you think you are and everything that you think you want. They make you look deep inside for the answers." Sam watched her facial expression change and become more thoughtful, as if she were now talking to herself rather than him. "And the hardest part" she continued " is accepting the answers when you finally reach them. Especially when the answers weren't the ones that you're expecting."

"Is this about you and Joe?"

She suddenly snapped out of her thoughtful demeanor and returned to glaring at him, looking far more upset that Sam thought she should for what he had just said. "This has nothing to do with me and Joe. I'm trying to help you Sam but right now I'm not even sure why I'm bothering!"

And then she became the third person in a few minutes to turn and walk away from him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Nashville, Tennessee<strong>_

Sam's heart beat faster when he saw the name next to the message which had just arrived on his phone. He paused for a few moments before hitting the envelope icon.

**Just heard about your grandpa and wanted to say that despite everything I'm thinking of you and praying for your family. M x**

Word must have got out at school. It was only logical really. He had been missing for two days now. But he did also like to think that she had noticed and asked about his sudden absence and wondered where he was.

Sam stared hard at the message for a few moments before placing the phone on the hotel bed and looping the knot into his black tie. It had been more than a month since they had last spoken. A month since the episode in the janitor's closet, a month since she had refused his chocolates and a month since the scathing words from Shane and Quinn. Not once had she looked his way with a smile in her eyes or giggled in his presence. And it had been torture. He wanted to talk to her to break the tension but he had no idea what to say. It was even worse than when he had been in Kentucky. At least there he didn't have to see her every day. But in Lima he did. He had to watch her confiding in Quinn, jamming with Kurt and worst of all, chatting with Shane. He knew that she and Shane were no more than friends but since the threats, seeing Shane made him uncomfortable. And of course, there was always the worry that the big guy's friendship with Mercedes could turn back into something more.

But for Mercedes herself, he still couldn't quite understand what was going through her mind. Her behavior was an act of betrayal. Sure she had cheated but most of the blame of that fell on him and not her. Besides, when her relationship was officially over, he had offered her what she wanted and she had not only thrown it back in his face, she had insulted him with it! How was he _not_ _likeable_? Everybody else seemed to like him. Hell, he'd even finally stopped being slushied for being on the swim team!

And the worst part was the way that she looked at him. It wasn't even a look of hate. That he could understand. That he could work with. No, she looked at him with sadness in her eyes and it hurt like hell because he truly did not understand why. What had he done that was so wrong? Why did he not deserve another chance to fix whatever it was that he had done?

There was a tap at the door and his dad's head popped round. "Are you ready? The cars are here!"

"Sure, Just give me a moment to finish up."

"Okay, I'll see you downstairs."

Sam took a deep breath and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He actually looked pretty smart with his hair smoothed down and the black suit and tie. Shame it couldn't be for a happier occasion.

He picked up the phone and unlocked the screen so that he could re-read the message from Mercedes which was still open. He touched the screen lightly over the words and took comfort from them. He knew she wasn't expecting a reply. They didn't communicate at all other than in acknowledgement of each other's presence, and that was only when others were around to prevent things from becoming too awkward. She didn't need to send him this. Nobody else had said anything or bothered to contact him. But everything about that message had Mercedes stamped all over it. That was simply one of the things that was amazing about Mercedes. Her selflesness.

Not wanting to think about it too hard he quickly locked his phone, shoving it into his inside pocket before he ran down to join the rest of his family.

The ride was slow and church pew was hard and uncomfortable. Sam couldn't help but notice that he had been sitting in the exact same spot just a few short months earlier. He knew it was the exact same spot because some poor bored person had scratched something into the back of the pew in front. How on earth they would have got away with doing that considering it was only the second pew from the front confused him. But then it didn't really take much to confuse him these days.

He looked around and noticed that not only was he in the same seat, but it was mostly the same crowd as last time. Mostly again in the same seats and mostly again in the same outfits. He tugged at his tie slightly. He couldn't really judge them on that one. He was wearing exactly the same suit and tie himself. He sighed and looked past Stacy and Stevie to his father. This was hard on him. To lose both parents within a few short months had really taken its toll. Especially with all the other turmoil that their family was already going through during that time. He watched as his dad clutched tightly onto his mom's hand and leaned slightly into her, absorbing all of the comfort that she was radiating out to him. His dad had been through so much and his mom had been there right at his side through all of it. The things that should have divided them had only made them stronger. And that's why they were back here again so soon. The last time they had made the trip to Nashville it was from their temporary home in Kentucky. Samuel D Evans had been sickly for several years, but it had been his wife and carer Marcy who had died peacefully of a stroke in her sleep at the during of the fall.

Nobody would admit it aloud but that was the day her husband died too. Or rather, the day that he gave up on life. If she wasn't in the world, then he didn't want to be in it either. He and Marcy had been together since they were fifteen, married since they were eighteen. After her death he had moved in with his eldest son, Sam's uncle Ned so that they could look after him but it was already too late. He hardly ate and he hardly spoke. All he did was pine. All he wanted was to be with his wife.

Sam watched as his favorite uncle Ned made his way to the front to say a few words. He was shorted than his dad with far more gray hair but the same piercing eyes. He watched the older man pause for a moment, collecting his thoughts and composing himself before beginning to speak. "There are love stories and there are _great _love stories." Sam noticed that he didn't even have any notes. He was speaking purely from the heart. "And everybody sitting here today knows that when it comes to my dad, his was one of the _greatest ever. _He lived for my mother. I'm sad to lose him, but in a way I'm not because I know that if he was sitting watching this today, he would be telling us to quit our foolishness and be happy for him. His last words to me were said with a smile." He smiled softly, clearly replaying the momory as he spoke. "Just before he closed his eyes he looked the happiest I'd seen him in months. He said 'Marcy looks beautiful tonight. I'm taking her dancing so don't wait up!'" Ned Evans continued to smile a watery smile as a small knowing chuckle rippled through the church. Because that is exactly the kind of thing that he _would _say! "My mom was everything to him and he was everything to her. A few months ago we were all here, talking about the funny things she used to say, but today I was thinking of the funny things that _he_ used to say. I'm sure everyone here knows the three words he would say the most. Ten letters of the alphabet that made up three words which summed their relationship up perfectly. I'm sure none of you even need me to say what they are but I will anyway. It was 'Stay, My Love.'"

Sam's head began to pound and his heart began to race at those words. His mind began to flood with memories of all the times his grandpa would say that. He stared hard at his uncle who was fighting back the tears as he continued to speak. "He would say that phrase dozens of times a day. Any time ma would get up from sitting next to him he would grab her by the waist and say it, any time she left the room, even for the briefest moment he would call after her and say it. Sure she would constantly smack him or come back with some smart reply but we all knew that he meant it. And we all know that she loved it. Sixty three years they were married but they never spent even one single night apart from each other."

Ned took a deep breath and cast his eyes over the beautiful floral arrangements decorating the church. "Even now I can still hear the old man's voice. If he was here he would be pointing out all the flowers and telling us how ma would have a fit if she saw how much money we had wasted on those. 'What's the use of buying flowers?' she would say. 'It's not like you can eat flowers!' But then that didn't stop dad from buying her flowers every Friday without fail from the moment they started courting. And after she passed, those flowers stayed in a vase by his bedside, changed weekly, like a shrine to her."

For some reason, Sam was gripped to every word. Something inside him had been triggered but he didn't know what. He loved his grandpa. He remembered sitting on his knee as a child listening to his stories. Even then he could tell how the old man was lost when his wife wasn't in the room. He couldn't begin to imagine what it must have been like when she was no longer there at all!

He watched as his uncle Ned removed his glasses and wiped his eye before replacing them. "Grandpa always said one thing about the Evans men and it held true. We are fools of love. We fall young, we fall hard and we love with every ounce of our beings. Dad proved it to true as did his father before him. I'm proving it now with my amazing wife Anna who has helped me more than words can express through this dark time-" His words choked slightly and everyone in the church held their breath for him. He looked over at Anna and they locked eyes. Everyone could clearly see that the look they shared gave him the strength to continue. "Our family has been through so much this year. Same applies for my brother Dwight and his family. But again, he's had Mary standing by his side every step of the way." Sam turned his gaze to his parents who clutched at each other tighter even though neither of them turned their attention away from Ned's speech. "Evans men do love hard, but it's the women in our lives who continue to make us strong. Dad taught us well. He told us that it's not enough just to love someone. You have to put them and their feelings first. 'Love is not selfish and love does not know fear'. I never understood that until I met Anna. Dwight never understood that until he met Mary. And one day our sons will understand it too when they grow up."

Sam thought about that statement. _Did he understand it? Had he grown up yet?_

The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur. As the crowds dispersed from the freshly covered grave, Sam stood a little longer, staring in the words spelled out in purple flowers that were laid so that they overlapped both headstones that sat next to each other. 'Stay, my love'.

Together again at last.

As he stood, he felt a heaviness in his chest. Like similar to the grief that he had been experiencing all day and yet also slightly different. He'd felt this feeling before but couldn't remember when. _Why couldn't he remember when?_

His thoughts were interrupted by the sensation of an arm wrapping around his shoulder. He didn't need to look up to know that it was his mom. She gently pulled him away. "Come on Sam, we'll come back here before we leave for Lima tomorrow so you can say your goodbyes in private."

Sam smiled up at her gratefully. There was so much swirling through his mind right now and he wished more than anything that his grandpa was here to talk him through it. At the moment it was all a huge swirling mass that was impossible to pick apart but somehow he knew that it was important for him to do it.

Because until he did, somehow he was missing something important.

As he had been doing all day, he reached into his pocket to touch his phone, knowing that Mercedes' message was still open on the screen before allowing his mom to lead him away.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Wow. I have total respect for drama writers. Because all I want to do is sit and cry and eat chocolate after this! Smut is so much easier than drama!<em>**


	9. And Then A Hero Comes Along

**_This chapter is long and emotional with flashbacks but i'll try to stop making you cry after this!_**

* * *

><p>5am and Sam was wide awake.<p>

All he could do was lie back on his bed and keep remembering stuff.

_A party. Loud music. Too much alcohol. Too much exposed skin. Too many hormones…_

_It had been a crap day for Sam. He had walked into the kitchen that morning to the sound of hushed voices. His dad was sat at the table having some kind of intense conversation on the phone and his mom was stood behind him, gently caressing his shoulder._

_"What's up?" His mom lifted her eyes to him then raised her finger to her lips to shush him. He frowned and went to speak again but she shook her head. His dad looked awful, pale as if he had seen a ghost and tense emotion was etched onto his brow. She kissed the top of his head gently before walking over to Sam, leading them out the door and closing it behind them. "Is it his job?"_

_"No." She let out a soft sigh. "It's grandma. She died this morning!"_

_"Oh my-"_

_She quickly wrapped her arms around him. "I know Sam I know."_

_"But we were supposed to go there for Thanksgiving! She was going to bake me those-"_

_"I know."_

_"Shit…"_

_"Yeah…" For the first time, his mom did not scold him for cursing. She looked as if she hadn't even really noticed._

_"How is grandpa?" _

_"I don't know. He sounds confused. Dad is talking to him right now, we think he's still in shock."_

_"What the hell happened? There's nothing wrong with grandma!"_

_"We don't know. All we could get from him is that when he got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom like he usually does, she didn't turn around like she always did and when he checked to see what was wrong he couldn't wake her up. He's still at the hospital with your uncle Ned sorting out some paperwork."_

_"Poor dad!"_

_"I know. I don't think it's fully hit him yet."_

_"I want to talk to him."_

_"Maybe later."_

_"Is there anything I can do?"_

_His mom shrugged sadly. "Maybe you can keep Stacy and Stevie out of his hair for a bit. He's going to have to make a lot of calls today."_

_"Sure mom."_

_She leaned forward and kissed him softly. "I love you Sam. I don't tell you enough."_

_"I love you too mom."_

_Sam hadn't wanted to come to the party but his mom had insisted. The alternative was to sit at home being miserable with the rest of the family. The kids were at a sleepover with a neighhbor and he knew his dad would be wanting some quiet time to process what had happened so he willingly got out of the house. He hardly knew anyone here. Just a few of the jocks from school. He was still 'the new kid' so he couldn't relax, when all he wanted was to be back at home. He wanted to be back lying on his bed, staring at Mercedes' number on his phone. He wanted to call her. He wanted to talk to her so badly. He knew that she would be able to make him feel less sad. This was something big in his life and she was the one that he wanted to share it with. The pain wouldn't go away, but just the sound of her voice would ease it a little. He hadn't meant to avoid her since leaving Lima. He had wanted to call her the second they had arrived in Kentucky to tell her that they had made it there safely. He had wanted to call her to tell her about his new home and how excited he was to have his own room again. He wanted to call to tell her about how he had struggled to find work until starting at the Dairy Queen. He wanted to call and ask her opinion on whether it was a good idea for him to take the higher earning job that he had been offered by the glamorous older woman even if it meant lying to his parents about what he was really doing._

_But he didn't. He didn't call for any of those things. He hadn't called at all. And now it was too late. At the time, all he could see in his mind's eye was the image of her face as he kissed her goodbye and tasted the salty tears that covered her exhausted face. He took the cowards option. To be gone when she woke up. To be gone forever._

_He had nearly slipped that day. Nearly said some things that could not be taken back while he moved inside her. But had she seen them in his eyes? There were feelings which should not have seen the cold light of day. He had to shut the door on it when he left otherwise it would have had the power to break him._

_And so he needed to blot them out. Again. He didn't learn from the consequences of his last ill-fated sexual encounter trying to forget Mercedes just three weeks after moving to Kentucky. Today there had been another rip to the fabric of his being that needed pinning back together and this was the only way he knew how._

_For a small town in Kentucky there were a surprising amount of pretty girls. A few months ago he would have been spoiled for choice. But now he was simply spoiled. Yet he couldn't see anyone that he wanted. They were all too thin, too pale, too false. If he wanted a Santana or a Quinn then he would find her by the dozen here. Stupidly he had fallen for the one girl who had broken the mold. The girl who wasn't and should never be like the others._

_Then he saw her, in the corner, shaking her thing in skinny jeans with a confidence that belied the fact that she was actually on her own._

_But not for long. _

_This was how things _should_ have gone down at Marcus' party._

_Before he knew it he was behind her, keeping his hands to himself but matching her movements. And it wasn't long before long he could hear the sound of her laugh above the music. "You Kentucky boys really think you can handle this?"_

_He pressed in closer to her back. "I'm not from Kentucky." He let his southern drawl run thick._

_"That's lucky, coz neither am I. I'm just here for the weekend visiting my cousin before I head back to Florida. This party is a lucky bonus". She spun and turned to face him. "In fact, everything this weekend is a lucky bonus, no strings."_

_He pulled her in closer and grinned as she saw her eyes checking out his body with approval. Even though her body was curvy and soft her face was nothing like Mercedes. But it didn't matter, tonight was all about the body not the face. "You never answered my question. What makes you think you can handle _this_?" She asked, gesturing towards herself._

_"Let's just say my ex didn't have any complaints!"_

_She looked up at him suspiciously. "So you like yourself a bit of ebony huh! Is she in this room?"_

_He didn't break eye contact as he shook his head. "Not even in this State."_

_That brought a smile. Not the bright kind that Mercedes emitted, but a smile nonetheless. She threw her arms around his neck. "Let's see what moves you've got and maybe I'll think about if you're worth it."_

_Sam chuckled and pulled her closer, relishing the feel of her soft breasts as they pressed up against him. "Tonight's the night I get to show you" he whispered in her ear "not to believe all the rumors."_

_"What rumors?"_

_He licked the shell of her ear. "Let's just say there is as little correlation between dancing skills and ability to make a girl cum as there is between skin color and size." He grinned as he pulled her even closer. "And when we say size, I'm talking about both length _and _girth!"_

_The hiss that he got in response was more than enough to let him know that he had satisfied her curiosity. _

_That feeling of his hips crashing into a firm yet soft ass was exactly what he needed. He leaned over her and bit onto her neck as he proved the rumors wrong with each stroke of his thick cock. He may not be black, but he had a big one and he sure as hell knew exactly what to do with it! He had her standing, bent forward over the edge of the bed. The pile of jackets and bags lying on top of it quaked with the impact of each thrust and a few even fell to the floor. Not that either of them cared. This felt too good. She was so tight. So soft. And there were no strings._

_He raised one of her legs onto the bed so that he could drive even deeper, causing her to bury her face in the jackets to muffle her cries. Sam leaned over her and brought his face back next to hers again, this time licking her jaw while he plunged into her over and over again._

_She tasted wrong. Her sweat didn't taste like Mercedes. But if he couldn't have her for real, then just for a few seconds he would close his eyes and pretend that the girl coming apart beneath him was the one who had cast a spell over him._

_"Fuuuuuuuuuuck!"_

_His release was initially satisfying. But yet again, within seconds he couldn't help but feel that he had just cheated on Mercedes with some random girl._

_He never did get her name or work out who her cousin was._

_And it didn't make him feel any better._

Sam looked up at the clock in the dim early morning light. It was still only 6.23am but he knew that there was no way he was going to be able to get back to sleep now.

Sam pulled out his phone and stared hard at the picture he had opened, touching the screen gently. It was of Mercedes. Her eyes were closed, her mouth was open and she was sleeping peacefully. She looked so calm and serene yet he knew that when she woke up from that sleep, it would be to a broken heart. It was all his fault. And he would be gone before anyone could force him to face the music.

He hadn't meant to break her heart, the same way that he hadn't meant to fall for her. It had just happened. He had no control over it. He only had control over how he responded to it.

And his response had been guilt which was the overwhelming reason for him staying away. Technically they were friends but there was no way that he would be able to keep that up.

Then he had found out about her new boyfriend and went mad. Just over three weeks after he had left! How could she? Twenty four days! Twenty four fucking days is all it took before he saw those fateful words:' Mercedes Jones is in a relationship with Shane Tinsley'! Who the fuck was the guy anyway? The photo attached to his profile was of an entire football team and his privacy settings meant that Sam could not stalk through his pics.

That was the night that he had finally lost it. The night that he was politely asked to leave his job at the Dairy Queen for being caught fucking a customer in the bathroom when he was supposed to be serving. Old habits die hard. Unable to go straight home without raising suspicion he had sat for ages on the sidewalk thinking about his life and fingering the embossed business card which had taken up residency in the back pocket of his jeans. That was the night he bit the bullet and walked into Stallionz.

That was the night White Chocolate was born and Sam Evans got his swagger back for good. That was what had enabled him to act the way that he had at the party.

Without even bothering to shower he slipped into his jeans and a sweater, quickly leaving a note for his still sleeping parents before silently slipping out of the room.

It was only a short walk to the cemetary. That's why they'd picked this hotel. Sam quickly found the spot where they had all stood the day before.

He ran his fingers along the cold edge of the headstone. "How did you know?" He traced his fingers along the indentation of each engraved letter. "How did you know that she was the one? How did you know that you were in love with her?"

He stepped back and stared had at the two matching headstones with the purple flower reef still laying across them, joining them together. _It would be awesome to have what they had had._ At first he thought that kind of relationship didn't happen anymore, but then he remembered that his parents had an amazing relationship too. Unfortunately he wasn't cut out for that kind of thing. He didn't have what it took to be able to handle that kind of thing.

"Why can't I be more like you grandpa?" There was nobody around so he didn't mind speaking aloud. "You had someone special, she was the girl of your dreams and your best friend and you held on to that with everything that you had. I'm not strong. I can't do that. I have to let them go and move on before they see how weak I really am."

Sam remembered one of the last conversations he ever had with his grandpa. It was just before his family moved to lima. They had been visiting for a few days and the night before they left he had been getting ready to go out with some of his old school friends. The old man had smiled as he watched him getting ready. Sam wasn't vain but he did always take pride in his appearance. That's why he worked out. And that's why he lightened his hair. It helped him feel better about himself and improve his confidence. Sure he was a player, but after being cooped up in an all boys school, who could blame him for wanting to catch up on some of the action that he had been missing!

_"Why all this effort just to go out with the boys? Are you sure there isn't going to be anyone special there?"_

_Sam shrugged. "Nah. But Connor has invited some girls so you never know, I might just get lucky!"_

_"Yep. You're a good looking kid and the girls will love you. But always remember, if a girl is special she will look at more than the superficial!"_

_"Yeah, I know that!"_

_"Do you?" The old man tousled his hair playfully. "A girl may like all this, but what she falls in love with is _this_." He took his hand and from Sam's hair and placed it on his chest over his heart. "This is what they need to see before they fall in love."_

_Sam chuckled. "Sure! And how are they supposed to see that?"_

_"You have to show them."_

_"And how do I do that?"_

_His grandpa looked at him thoughtfully before beckoning him to follow. "Where are we going?" Sam asked as they headed up the stairs at a painfully slow pace._

_"I want to show you something. I want to show you yourself."_

_Sam was incredibly curious to know what on earth he was about to be shown. The old man went to his closet and pulled out an old battered shoe box from the back. He sat down on the bed, placing the box on his knees and patted the space next to him for Sam to sit. When he did, he removed the lid and started rifling through the contents. Sam looked over to see dozens of loose photographs, sheets of paper and various souvenirs of different types._

_"One day I'm going to sit down and sort through these but I just never seem to have the time."_

_"I'll help you!"_

_The old man smiled at him with bright eyes. "I'd like that Sam. This box is full of treasure." He continued working his way through the contents before he found what he was looking for. It was a single sheet of paper covered in what Sam recognized to be his own childish handwriting. The outer edges were covered in drawings of cartoons. As he looked closer he noticed that he cartoons were of superheroes. But they weren't the classic ones. He began to read the writing aloud. "I am Sam and I am 9. I love to draw because I don't like words. They make my head hurt. I love my family because they are the best. My dad is the best in the world and so is my mom and she has a big tummy because she says I have a baby brother growing inside and when he is born I will love him and protect him because he will be small and I will be big. When I grow up I want to have a job where I get to draw all day because Miss Kane says I draw good and my pictures make her smile. I like it when people smile and I don't like it when they are sad or angry. When they get sad or angry I do funny voices to make them smile again. I love my grandpa because he lets me chew gum. Sometimes he gets sick but grandma says he is her hero and she always gives him her special smile. I want to be a hero like him one day."_

_Sam smiled as he stared at the paper with the images carefully colored in with pencils around the edges. "I remember this! It was my homework project. But dad said you would like to read it so I wrote you a special copy and put it in your birthday card. I spent a whole afternoon drawing and coloring these characters because I knew you would look at them carefully and find something in each one to make you smile."_

_"And I loved it. So did your grandma. Do you know why we loved it? Because it was you. It was as much a perfect image of you as a photograph would have been. This is all the things we love about you. And these are the things at someone special will love about you too. But only if you let her. She can't love what she doesn't know. She can't see what you don't show. Remember, you are greater than the sum of all your external parts."_

_"Do you think anyone will ever see me like that one day?"_

_He smiled and touched Sam's chest again. "I'm sure of it!" _

_"And what if they don't like what they see?"_

_"Then they're not the right one. So don't waste your time pursuing them." __His face then became serious. "But you have to remember that it does work both ways. For you to love a girl you also need to see her for more than what she is on the outside."_

_"But grandma is pretty. I saw the pictures of when you guys were young. She was stunning!"_

_He watched as the old man's eyes glazed over with memory. "She was…" He suddenly cleared his throat and straightened up. "And she still is! Here is a very important piece of information for you Sam, never ever refer to a woman's beauty in the past tense. Ever! You understand me? It will save you much heartache in the future!"_

_Sam laughed. "Understood!"_

_"Good. You know, I've known your grandmother for my entire life but I didn't always _see_ her. She lived down the road, went to my church, went to my school and knew lots of my friends. But through all those years, I only knew her as someone to say hello to."_

_"Then what happened?"_

_"Johnny Austin happened. He was my friend and he liked her best friend LouAnne. So, as any good wingman does, I kept Marcy busy while he could spend time with LouAnne. It was fine. She turned out to be a pretty interesting girl and we actually had lots in common. Then one day Johnny decided to cool things with LouAnne and I realized that I missed the time I'd spent with Marcy while they were together. But it was just one of those things, no big deal really. Until one day Johnny decides that that now he likes Marcy. And suddenly that didn't sit right with me. I couldn't work out why. I decided it was because Marcy was my friend and I knew with his reputation that one day he would end up hurting her even if he didn't mean to. Luckily he gave up on his pursuit of her and started going steady with someone else but I still couldn't get Marcy off my mind. It turned out that Johnny had asked her to go steady but she had said no so he moved right on to someone else. But it took me a few more weeks and her standing outside church talking to the flashy new boy in town wearing the most dazzling pink dress I had ever seen to realize that what I felt for her was more than friendship. Somewhere between playing wing man and confidant I had fallen in love with her without even noticing it. My dad always swore he noticed because I would stare at her constantly but I don't believe him. To cut a long story short, it took me a good while to work up the courage to say anything to Marcy, but when I did she told me that I was the reason she said no when Johnny had asked her to go steady. She had always hoped I would ask her while he was with LouAnne but like an idiot I never even noticed. And if I hadn't finally spoken up I might have missed my chance forever. And that would have been a tragedy!"_

_Sam was stunned. In his mind his grandpa had always known that he had loved his grandma and was always as sure of it as he was today. He watched as the old man yawned. "And speaking of tragedy… oh… no it's gone now. I forgot what I was going to say."_

_"Grandpa, you look tired, maybe you should take a rest." It had always concerned Sam how quickly his grandpa would get fatigued. He watched as he frowned, again struggling to find his words before scratching his head and yawning again._

_"Okay son. Help me take off my slippers and put the box back in the closet."_

_Sam helped him removed the footwear and settle back among the pillows. "Have fun with your friends and don't forget the importance of our little chat today!"_

_Sam smiled. "I won't grandpa!"_

_He was met with the sound of a loud sigh and heavily lidded eyes. "Tell your grandma to wake me with a kiss in an hour!"_

_"I will!" Sam reached and took the man's hands in his, noting the wrinkled thin paper skin on them. "And thanks for the chat. I won't forget what you told me... I love you grandpa!"_

_Not hearing a response he looked to his face and saw that he had already fallen asleep._

Sam sighed. He never did get to help his grandpa with that box. He had at one point bought an old sketch book in order to stick some of the loose papers in, but they had not returned so they never had the opportunity to do it.

And how the hell had he forgotten about that conversation?

Sam bit his lip and ran his fingers through his hair. "So I guess you did answer my question after all. I took more away from that conversation than you realized. The problem is I locked it all away and didn't use it when I was supposed to."

He knelt next to the headstone and played absently with a bunch of flowers that had been placed there as he struggled to form his words. "There's something I really need to tell you grandpa. You see, I think I've fallen in love with this girl. No, I'm pretty sure I have fallen in love with her. Shit, you know I think I've been in love with her since last yea- sorry for cursing! I didn't mean to. It's just when my thoughts come out all at once my mouth runs away-" He paused to frown and pinch his brow with his thumb and forefinger while he attempted to get his thoughts in some kind of order.

"Her name is Mercedes. You'd like her. You'd say that she has a lot of spunk. And then you would be confused when everybody starts laughing under their breath but nobody will be brave enough to tell you why what you said was so funny. Mercedes is so beautiful. When she smiles it makes her whole face light up. And she has this one smile which is happy and cute and sexy at the same time and every time she does it I have to fight the urge to kiss her on the lips right there and then.

And you know what? We were friends first. Then I saw her looking hot at prom in her purple dress and something shifted. There's even this guy called Marcus who's a bit like your friend Johnny. Mercedes was the only good thing going in my life during those dark times just before we left Lima.

She even taught me how to cook. Did you know I can cook? There was this one day where I ate seven pieces of her fried chicken. Seven! It's so delicious you would love it! But she went mad and said I had to cook a load more to replace it because I was supposed to have left some for her dad's dinner but I'd forgot. I told her that I didn't know how so she said she would show me and she did. She showed me how to portion up the raw chicken, season the flour, coat the meat and fry it to perfection. I think that's the day I fell for her. She was wearing this cute little apron with flowers on it and had this smudge of flour on her cheek which made her look totally adorable. Cooking together in her kitchen made me feel at home. It felt like something I should always be doing. She says I should become a chef but I told her that wouldn't leave me enough time to design and publish my own original series of graphic novels. Sometimes we would cook the Jones's dinner and she would always make sure that there was enough for me to take a Tupperware container full back to the motel too. We work well together in the kitchen you know. Just being silly and acting goofy. I like it when its like that, just us. I don't have to try, I can just be myself and she laps it up.

She says I'm crazy but she's crazy too. I mean, she actually gets my jokes and she laughs with me not at me. When I do my impressions she loves them and actually asks for more! Nobody ever asks for more except Stacy. Thanks to her I can do some new impressions. Characters from Naruto. It's an anime series. She introduced me to it. Anime is a type of Japanese cartoon. It's cool. You probably wouldn't get it but I like it.

We can spend hours just holding hands and talking about nonsense. She makes me feel… comfortable. Is that the right word? Hell I don't even know if I'm making sense but it does inside my head. She's amazing but I screwed up. I messed it all up because I couldn't tell her how I felt. At first it was because I didn't understand how I felt. Sure I liked her but when I kissed her it wasn't like kissing other girls. There was this spark. And this feeling in my chest that made me excited and scared at the same time. I wanted to be with her but I was afraid. But it wasn't what she thought I was afraid of. We live in a small town and people can be ignorant but I really couldn't give a shit about- sorry – I really don't care about that. I was afraid that people would laugh at me. The stupid dyslexic homeless guy trying to be with some girl who was way out of his league. Sure, like I said, even in this day and age people can be pretty backwards, but what if someone was to do it in reverse? What if someone was to sit her down and point out that I'm simply white trash who's good at nothing but drawing and sports. If anyone out of the two of us would be able to make something out of their lives it would be her. She's more than me. She takes AP classes, she lives in a nice home, her parents are professionals. I'm sure they have plans for her, plans that don't involve being held back by someone like me. She'll graduate and be accepted into some amazing college while I'm stuck here for another year like the loser that I am.

I figured that leaving was actually the best thing. If I tried to hold on to her it would only make things harder. And she was cool with that. She said she was. I came sooo close to telling her how I really felt but what was the use if I couldn't be there with her?"

Sam started to get cramp in his leg and opted to move around a bit. "You'll be disappointed in me grandpa. To try and make myself forget her I did things in Kentucky that I regret. And the worst thing I did was barging back into her life the way that I did when we moved back to Lima. I literally marched back in and claimed her back as mine even though she had tried to move on. I knew it was wrong but I did it anyway. Because I knew that if she felt for me even half of what I felt for her then I could get her back. And that's all it was. Trying to get her back. I should have respected her boundaries but I trampled all over them. If I had waited I might have got my chance. But instead I was selfish and impatient and I hurt people in the process. People I had no right to. People it was not my business to get involved with.

I forgot what you said grandpa. I got things so wrong. I thought that I could win her over by getting another Letterman jacket. A jacket for fuck's sake! Oh shit – sorry to keep cursing – i'm upset but I'll try not to disrespect you again. You told me that the outside is not what's important but that's what I went for. I had good memories attached to the jacket and thought that it would bring her round. I forgot that things like that are only the superficial.

I played her. I overwhelmed her with so many feelings that I scared her off. I thought that it would drive her into my arms but all it did was drive her away. She hates me. And she has every reason to. I was arrogant and selfish and unfeeling. I didn't take her into consideration at all. I didn't care what she wanted and then couldn't understand when she rejected me."

He smiled an ironic smile. "You know, we had the weirdest conversation. I'll spare you the details because believe me there was stuff that you _really_ don't want to know! But there was other stuff too. Sometimes when you're forced into a corner the truth comes out. I felt forced into a corner and the first thing I did was to offer to be with her forever. I didn't even realize I'd said it til she asked. But I didn't get to answer because we were interrupted. But right then I couldn't answer. Between then and now I've changed. In the last couple of days you've helped me to see so much sense. I wanted to talk to you so badly, to get your advice. But now I realize it was all there all along. I just had to listen to it!

Last night uncle Ned said that I was a lot like you. I even have some of your mannerisms. I wish I could be like you. I wish I could be a hero like you. But life is more complicated than that even if we've caused the complication ourselves. Wow – now I sound downright eloquent!

I couldn't sleep last night because I was thinking about you and missing you. I thought about what you and grandma had, I thought about what uncle Ned has and about what mom and dad have. And maybe I want it too. Maybe I messed up but maybe it's not too late to fix it. I spent the last month thinking that Mercedes hates me but maybe she doesn't. You were right when you always say I never listen. I heard her words but I didn't listen to what she had to say. She didn't say that she hated me. She said that she loved me but she didn't _like_ me. I heard that as her saying that she didn't like me. But I totally missed the point. She said she loved me! Or at least she _did_. If she still does then that's great, if she doesn't anymore then I'll just have to make her fall in love with me again.

She liked Na'vi speaking Sam-I-Am. She would have loved 9 year old Sam. But I stopped being that and it hurt her. I need to get that back if I'm going to get her back. I realized too late that she doesn't want a fool in a Letterman jacket who struts around the school trying to seduce because it made him feel good and hides his insecurities. I'm crazy about her grandpa, but I went the wrong way about showing it to her. I was an arrogant douche and I don't blame her for throwing it back in her face. I wouldn't want it either. I'd spent so long building a shell to stop myself from getting hurt that I also stopped myself from being real. But I think it's coming to me now. I just need to keep working it out in my brain."

Sam suddenly laughed. "I'm rambling again! There's more to this big mouth than just big lips! But I feel better for talking to you. You've helped me." He nodded to his grandma's headstone. "Both of you. And I miss you so much."

He knelt down again to straighten up the flowers and when he looked up he saw his dad walking towards him. When they met he allowed his dad to embrace him. "We woke up to your note son. Is everything okay?"

Sam smiled sadly. "Yeah, it is. I just needed to have one last chat with grandpa about something and I feel much better now." He looked at his father. He looked tired. In just a few short months he had lost both of his parents. Sam didn't even want to imagine what that must feel like. "I love you dad."

"I love you too Sam. Want to sit with me a bit?"

"Sure."

They sat on the nearby bench in comfortable silence. Both lost in their memories of a man who had been a hero and hoping that they could continue to be better men because of him.


	10. Remember Remember

Yet again Sam made his way up the steps to the main entrance. But this time his attitude was very different. Nothing had changed and yet everything had changed at the same time. He'd only been gone three days and he was returning as a completely different person. And hopefully it was a better one.

The first person he encountered in the hallway was Shane. _Way to put a downer on things! _The larger boy stared hard at him as he passed on his way to his locker and he felt his face flush red with embarrassment and shame. What he had done to Shane was wrong and he now felt it. For now he had no idea how he was going to make it right but he knew he had to.

From the corner of his eye he saw a flash of purple and felt that he was being stared at. Without turning his head he knew who it was. She was smiling at him. A small gentle smile. Sympathetic without being pitying. Before he could even begin to make his way over to her, Santana and Brittany had appeared from nowhere and the three of them had begun to walk away together, chatting.

It wasn't until lunch that he felt a small hand on his shoulder as he made his way through the halls. Resisting the urge to gasp at the spark he felt at the mere touch of her hand he smiled at her.

Her voice was soft. "How are you doing?"

"Okay I guess."

She looked at him. Hard. "If you say so."

Of course Sam wasn't okay. But it wasn't for the reason that she thought. Yes he was still cut up about the loss of his grandpa. But this was also the first time that he was face to face with the girl that he had now come to realize that he was in love with and the effect was devastating. Not only was she looking more beautiful than ever before, but his palms were sweaty, his mouth was dry and his heart was about to beat out of his chest, making him feel light-headed. Sure he would love to grab her back into the janitor's closet for a repeat of that awesome sex just before the shit hit the fan, but he also just wanted to hold her.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Actually, no he didn't. He was still processing all of these new and scary feelings. If he was to open his mouth he would start to ramble and spew off all kinds of word vomit that would only end up alienating her.

He was in love with her but she was never going to believe it. There was a now new infernal question. _How the hell do you make a girl realize that you're in love with her when you've already screwed around with her head so much?_

Sam shook his head sadly before remembering that he did in fact have something to say to her. "Thanks for the text message. It meant a lot."

She shrugged. "It was nothing."

_No! It was everything! _"It was a big help." She had no idea how that message, the one that she didn't even need to send given their current situation, was firmly engraved in his heart. He hooked his thumbs into the pocket of his jeans and hoped for his own sake that she would have ended the conversation there.

But she didn't.

"It must have been really hard for your grandma. I remember you telling me all about how she used to look after him. How is she doing?"

He was suprised by the question. It's not like they'd actually sat down and had a proper conversation since he'd come back to Lima. How was she supposed to have known? The only thing she was guilty of was caring _too much._ "Actually, she already passed in the fall while I was in Kentucky."

Genuine distress passed over her face. "Oh Sam! I'm so sorry! I didn't know!"

It was his turn to shrug. He didn't really want to have this conversation. He wasn't ready for it yet. "You couldn't have. It's not like we talk anymore. But I know that's my fault."

"It's both of our fault. We were never supposed to be this weird around each other."

"I know. I guess we got off on the wrong foot this time around." Sam turned her round and forced her to face him. "And that was all my fault. I was the one who strutted over to your place the moment I got back with the intention of seducing you. And you have to know how sorry I am for treating you like that."

She looked down at her feet. "I know. And I'm not mad at you anymore Sam."

He stroked her arm and then wished he hadn't because they both noticeably stiffened. "You might not be mad at me anymore but you're still mad at yourself and you shouldn't be. I was wrong that day and I intentionally pushed all your buttons. I made sure that I overwhelmed you and you didn't have a chance to fight back."

"I didn't want to fight you Sam."

"I guess I was counting on that." He cringed on how arrogant his words sounded. "Or should I say that's what I was hoping. In my head I always had the secret hope that once you saw me you would want me back. I shouldn't have disrespected your relationship like that."

His words seemed to shock Mercedes and for a moment she didn't seem to know what to say in reply.

"Hey Sam! Mike's looking for you!"

The moment was broken by Tina who rushed over and grabbed Mercedes' arm. He saw the precise moment seconds later when he saw it register on her face that she thought she may have interrupted something.

He covered it with a quick smile. It wasn't her fault. They were in the middle of the hallway just talking like students do. "Thanks Tina. Do you know where he is?"

"Just heading over to the gym."

"Cool. I'm on my way. See you guys later in glee!"

Both girls waved as he quickly made his exit, running over their conversation in his mind. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't see the other person until their bodies collided and books and papers scattered everywhere.

"Shit! I'm sorry dude! I wasn't looking where I was-"

It wasn't a dude. Sam had assumed from the height that it was, but the hands joining him in the rush to pick up the papers were long and slender with pale pink nail polish.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!" It was a melodious voice with a strange accent.

He was met by a pair of smiling brown eyes. "Don't worry. Neither was I. I was trying to decipher this stupid map of the school!"

He would be lying if he said she wasn't pretty. As they continued to pick up her books and papers he shot her a look from the corner of his eye. She had flawless golden brown skin, big chocolate eyes with lashes that went on for days, a cute button nose and full lips which were currently forming an amuzed smile as she assessed him carefully. Her hair fell in thick curls just below her shoulders and the front of it was tied away from her face by a brightly colored scarf. This time last year Sam would have been all over her. Instead he simply smiled and thought to himself that's exactly how he imagined his and Mercedes' child would look. When they both finally stood he was again taken aback by her height. There was a distinct possibility that she may even have been fractionally taller than him and she was slender like a model!

He smiled and held out his hand. "Hi! I'm Sam!" He managed to bit his tongue and not introduce himself with the Sam I Am part.

She took his and with a warm smile. "Hi Sam. I'm Jordana. And as you can guess I'm new here."

He nodded. "I can't place your accent. Where are you from?"

"Oh, all over. My family move around a lot. But mostly I've spent my time in England and Canada so my accent is a weird mixture."

"I like it."

"Thanks."

He nervously stuck his hands hin his pockets. "So shouldn't you have someone showing you around?"

"I did. But she went home sick at the beginning of lunch so I decided to try and figure out the place on my own. I didn't realize McKinley was so big! I'm used to much smaller private schools."

He nodded. "I know what you mean. I came here from a private boarding school. It took me a while to get my bearings and that was _with_ someone helping me."

"And how do you find McKinley now?"

"It's awesome." He noticed she had now finished shoving her things back into her locker. "So where are you going now?"

"Well my next period is 'study hall' so I figured I would give myself a head start and try to find it before the bell goes."

"I can show you if you like!"

She smiled at him excitedly. "I'd like that Sam. Thanks!" After following him for a few seconds she spoke again. "Hey, you've got a letterman jacket. Do you know a guy called Shane Tinsley?"

_Of all the fucking coincidences in the world… _"Actually I'm not on the football team but yeah I know who you mean. He's a great guy. Awesome linebacker and a gentle giant. You know him?"

"No but I was close with a guy who used to play football with him at the weekends and he said that he'd moved this way and told me to look him up."

"Well if we see him I'll introduce you."

It wasn't until they'd been walking down the hall together for a minute or so that he started to realize this could look bad. He didn't want anyone connecting him with any other girl. It was bad enough keeping desperate Cheerios off his back. "You know, I have this friend called Mercedes. She's pretty awesome and she does lots of new student orientation. I'm sure she won't mind helping you out for the afternoon."

"I couldn't ask that of anyone."

"No! Don't worry. She'd be happy to help. She's that kind of girl."

She looked at Sam as if she were assessing him with her big eyes. "Well if you say so then I trust you."

He took out his phone to text Mercedes then remembered that they didn't really communicate by phone anymore. Her text at the funeral was a one off. He quickly shoved his phone back in his pocket and avoided her questioning gaze. "She's probably in one of the music rooms so we'll try that hall."

It was a lucky guess. As they turned into that particular hallway, Mercedes and Shane were heading towards them. Jordana didn't miss the tightening of Sam's jaw when he saw the larger boy or the flicker in the eyes of the shorter girl as she looked from her to Sam then back to her before painting a smile onto her face.

"Hey Mercedes!" He smiled brightly at her then turned to her companion and nodded. "Shane…"

"Sam…" He didn't smile, but shot him an _I'm watching you_ gaze instead before looking over at Jordana and shooting her the bright smile. "And who is this lovely lady?"

"I'm Jordana." She took his hand then turned to offer hers to Mercedes. "I'm new. Just started today."

"You move fast Evans!" Despite the fact that Shane had mumbled the words under his breath, all of them clearly heard it.

He chose not to bite the bait. Instead he addressed Jordana. "Actually, this is the guy that we were just talking about."

She failed to keep the excitement out of her voice. "Oh my god! You're Shane Tinsley! Sam's said some great stuff about you!"

Shane shot a confused look at Sam but smiled at her.

Sam moved his attention to Mercedes who was shifting uncomfortably on her feet. "Jordana and I met in the hallway a few minutes ago." He didn't know why he felt the need to explain himself but he did. "Her mentor had to go home sick and I was hoping maybe you could help her with her orientation? I would offer myself but it would sort of look weird and you have far more experience than me."

She sighed and he quickly added "Unless you have some other plans?"

She shook her head and avoided his eyes. "No. It's fine. It's not like I'm not jealous" she lied. "Damsels in distress and holding back girls when they fight is what you do best."

He grinned. "Don't you mean holding back _Santana_ when she fights?"

She finally grinned back at him. "Yeah. Maybe I do."

They turned to Jordana and Shane who were already chatting animatedly about some guy named Rusty and followed them through the hall.

* * *

><p>Things were more relaxed between Sam and Mercedes in the weeks following the funeral. It was nothing like the friendship that they had shared the previous summer before becoming lovers, but it was far less awkward than before the funeral.<p>

There was only one problem. Sam wanted more, much more, but he had no idea how to go about it. Being friends again with Mercedes was taking too long. She would graduate and he would be left behind.

Every night since he had returned from the funeral Sam dreamed of Mercedes. They were all essentially the same. He would rehash some of the awesome sexy times that they had spent together. But he would always do something stupid at the end resulting in them both being sad and alone. It was like Groundhog Day every time that he closed his eyes. His brain was desperately trying to identify the moment it all went wrong but somehow he couldn't. Not until tonight…

_Sam opened his eyes and struggled to get them to adjust to the dark. He was in a bedroom but it wasn't his. As his eyes began to adjust to the darkness he managed to make out some shadowy outlines of furniture and he spotted a closet with something glinting on the front. It was a dress. A shiny silver dress. This was Mercedes' room. And it was the night after Marcus's party._

_He shifted slightly and felt her body next to him. She was on her side with her back to him and he was spooning her. Her body felt so soft and warm against his and he was filled with an overwhelming sensation of how this all felt so 'right'._

_Suddenly awake he took the time to pay more attention to the girl at his side. Her hair was splayed over the pillow and her mouth was open slightly. The shoulder of her babydoll had slipped down and the majority of one breast was exposed. He wanted nothing more than to grab a handful of it and put it in his mouth. She wanted him and he wanted her and when the morning comes this whole stupid shit was going to get fixed for good. Sam Evans was going to make things work with Mercedes Jones. He had hurt her and undermined her feelings but all that was about to change. It _had _changed. She just needed to wake up so that he could tell her. He replayed the events of the night back over in his head. The sweet innocent virgin Mercedes Jones that he had danced with at prom would never have reacted like that. She was all about caring and emotion. The girl in his bed a couple of hours ago was all about the sex and nothing more. He had created a monster. He had created a female version of him. In days gone by that would have been his ideal woman. Great sex and no emotion. But somehow over the last couple of months things had changed and so had his wants. Meaningles sex was great but meaningful sex was better. The fact that he hadn't been able to cum was testament to that._

_Replaying events in his head he thought to how things should have gone. Instead of jerking him off with her hand and catching his cum in a Kleenex she would have straddled his waist, smiling into his eyes as she lined herself up with his rigid cock and lowered herself onto it with a loud slow exhale of breath. And once she was down all the way she would stay frozen and kiss him deeply, feeling his cock twitch inside her. Even without moving their bodies reacted to each other while they were connected._

_Wrapping her arms around his neck she would begin to rock her hips, moving up and down, slowly at first while he dips his head to take one of her breasts in his mouth. Arching her back she would moan in pleasure as he leans forward to keep the connection. To keep his mouth against her skin. Her hip movements would be greater now, placing her feet flat onto the bed to help her gain greater leverage to slide her way up and down his cock, moving higher and slapping back down harder each time. And then the best bit. The 'lean back forward and push your tits up against Sam Evans while you twerk till your booty claps'. Guaranteed way to kill a man. Thankfully Mercedes couldn't twerk and kiss at the same time because Sam would generally have his mouth wide open making inhuman sounds. And shithead Shue had the audacity to call her dancing lazy. There sure as hell was nothing lazy about the moves she put on him when she was lost in the heat of things! _

_That's how it should have gone. And that's how it would go in the morning._

_He felt her stir and felt bad because the likely cause was the fact that he was starting to get hard while pressed against her. He thought of sweaty jockstraps in order to calm himself down and get back to sleep. Snuggling closer he gingerly put his arm around her resting his hand on her belly and trying hard not to think of a day when that soft belly would be hard from life growing inside it. _Too fucking soon!

_Any yet his arm around her waist and his face against her bare shoulder was already perfection itself. Tomorrow he was going to right this wrong. Tomorrow they would go out hand in hand like a proper couple. And the next time she asked him to stay when her parents got home he would. Because any kind of a grilling from Mr Jones would be worth it. For her._

_His eyes were heavy and he didn't know if he was awake or sleeping when he felt her stir. He heard her voice but it was like it was in the far distance. The voice of an angel in his dream. 'Sam? Sam I need to get up.'_

_He heard her but he didn't hear her. He felt her pull at his arm but it was like a dead weight around her. She was going nowhere. This feeling right now was perfection. 'Sam, let go! I'll be back in a minute!'_

_He pulled her even tighter to him. His sleep would not be as sweet if she wasn't there. Even for a minute. She turned her head and kissed him slightly with a giggle before trying again. 'Sam I'm gonna wet the bed if you don't let go soon! I had coffee remember!' He didn't care. Just one more moment of her warmth and then she could go._

_'Stay…'_

_It wasn't him speaking. He was still asleep. But it was definitely his voice. 'Come on Sam, stop playing. I'm bursting here!'_

_'Stay, my love…"_

_He felt her freeze under his arm for a moment before awkwardly turning to face him, clearly checking to see if he was asleep or not. 'Sam? Did you just-'_

_His breathing was deep and even and his eyes weren't even flickering. She used the opportunity to kiss him softly on the lips. 'I'll be back in moments my love.'_

_His arm immediately relaxed and with another quick kiss to his nose she slipped out of the bed._

Sam's eyes sprung open and he shot up bolt upright in his bed. There was sweat on his brow and his heart was racing so hard it made him feel nauseous. This dream was different. It was already rapidly fading but he knew he had to hold on to it.

It was important. There was something there that was vitally important and he needed to grasp it before it slipped from his mind again. But he couldn't. Within seconds it was gone along with any hope of getting back to sleep.

He went downstairs to the kitchen and fixed himself a bowl of Cheerios before returning to his room to eat them. He sat cross legged on his bed and crunched away thoughtfully. That heavy feeling was back in his chest. The one that he felt at his grandpa's funeral.

He stared at the picture of the old man that was now on his dresser and the old man smiled back at him. "I feel like you're trying to tell me something but I can't think what it is. I had the strangest dream and I know that it's important but I just can't seem to remember it!"

The old man in the picture simply continued to smile and Sam took the frame and held it in his hands, fighting the urge to cry. "She's never going to want me back grandpa. It's too late. The damage has already been done and it's too much to try and fix." He fingered the picture gently. "People loved you for the legacy that you left, for the people you met and the people that you've made happy. I haven't done that. I've hurt people and I still don't know how to fix it. Mercedes is ok with me now. I guess we're now friends. Well not friends in the way we were before, we don't hang out and stuff, but she doesn't avoid me. So I guess I should be thankful I guess. It's just I want more, so much more than that. I want her to see who I really am and to love me back. Is it so wrong that I want people to talk about me the way that uncle Ned spoke about you at the funeral?"

He thought back to his uncle's speech that had grabbed his attention and the heavy feeling in his chest worsened. He remembered the words and he… _remembered!_

The dream wasn't a dream. It was a memory!

And then the pieces fell together.

He remembered how upset Mercedes was when he had spoken to her on his final day in Lima. How she thought she had said something in her sleep that had upset him. How she had told him he had said something which he truly did not remember. Until now.

"I quoted you grandpa! I called her 'my love'!"

His heart raced at the revelation. Not only had he called her his love but she had said it back. Then he had screwed things up by forgetting and moving away without even giving them a chance. But there had to be a way of getting that back! If she still didn't feel so strongly she wouldn't have been so mad at him.

He knew that things were not going to be fixed overnight but for some reason, he felt a ray of hope.

Sam didn't yet know how he was going to fix this and get his girl, but he sure as hell was going to do it and _nobody _was going to stop him!

He spent the rest of the night with one thing on his mind. Getting Mercedes back. He knew he was running out of time so he set himself a deadline. Prom. She had made his prom last year and he intended to make hers this year. All he needed now was a plan…


	11. The Observations Of Friends

Sam spent days trying to come up with a plan to get Mercedes back only to come to the conclusion that the best plan was to have no plan at all. When they had first got together it had been without a plan. When he had tried to get them back together with a plan it had resulted in a clusterfuck of mammoth proportions. There had to be a lesson in there somewhere.

"Earth to Evans!"

"What?"

"Aaand he's back!" Mike grinned and lightly punched his friend in the arm. "I believe you were supposed to be replying to my question about what you're doing on Saturday?"

"Er, yeah. Sorry!" Sam quickly focused his attention back onto his friend.

"I'll give you a clue. The answer is not written across Mercedes' ass."

Sam blushed. "I wasn't-"

"You totally were!"

A small sigh. "Okay so maybe I was."

"So are you finally going to tell me what's going on with you guys?"

Sam frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Dude. You can't lie to me. I know you've liked her since before you moved to Kentucky!"

"It's nothing."

"Not from where i'm standing it isn't! I don't know who you think you're trying to fool. You're constantly shooting her looks like she's a cool glass of water in the middle of the desert and she keeps sneaking glances back at you when she thinks you're not looking. That doesn't sound like a whole heap of nothing to me!"

"Okay so maybe it's a bit complicated."

"Enlighten me!"

A shrug this time. "I screwed up."

"Screwed what up?" Mike had been patient with his friend but that patience had worn thin.

Sam sighed. "Cedes and I had a secret thing. Last summer-"

Mike fist bumped the air. "I knew it!"

"But we broke up just before I left."

"Marcus' party? You were acting weird that night."

"Just before then. I told you shit was complicated. Anyway, i kinda came back, all guns blazing, screwed around with her head and screwed things up with Shane and made her hate me."

"I don't think she hates you man."

"You weren't there when she ripped me to pieces when I tried to ask her out. She was mad."

"Well all I can say is she doesn't seem mad at you now. Why don't you ask her out again?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know."

"But you still like her right?"

"I more than like her. It's just shitty that it took me not being with her anymore to realize it."

Mike nodded in agreement. "That is pretty crap. But now you know, you can do something about it."

Sam shook his head. "I think I may have missed the boat on this one."

"I have to disagree with you my friend. As long as she is here and you are here there is always hope."

"I wish that I could share your confidence."

"One of the best lessons my grandfather taught me is when you have a good woman you don't let her go! It's something that he lived up to in his lifetime and something that I hope will hold true for me today."

Sam let out an ironic chuckle. "I bed our granddads would have got on really well if they'd ever met."

"Probably." Mike looked at his watch and swore under his breath. "I'm late for practice. I'll catch you after school and we'll finish this conversation!"

"Sure. Whatever."

Mike grabbed his bag and ran while Sam went to his locker to retrieve his books for his afternoon classes, still lost in thought over what Mike had just said to him.

"That's one hell of a Chapstick collection!" _Speak of the devil!_ He had no idea how long she had been there, but not only was Mercedes suddenly by his side, she was actually initiating conversation. There was no way on earth that he was going to turn down a golden opportunity like this!

He shot her one of his winning smiles and flipped straight into charm mode. "Yeah. Keeping this Trouty mouth soft and kissable takes a lot of maintenance! But I still don't know what flavor to go with today."

"Go with the cherry. I like cherry."

He grinned down at her, amuzed by her accidental foray into flirting. "Yeah? Wanna do a taste test?"

She blushed and stared at the ground before suddenly doing a double take.

He looked at her, taking in her sudden frown. Had he gone too far? "What's wro-"

"You have pictures of me in your locker?"

He blushed then recovered quickly. He saw her mentally counting three. She had no idea about the two others that she couldn't see or the dozens still on his phone. Following her gaze he smiled as he took in her overly staged yearbook photo next to a picture of a carefree Stevie and Stacy, he nodded and decided to just be honest. "Yeah I like to keep pictures of those I care about."

She looked as if she was going to say something but remained silent and they suddenly felt an unfamiliar tension between them.

"I was never completely happy with that picture." Her voice was quiet.

Sam looked at it with a critical eye. "Yeah. You do look like a glazed over zombie staring into the middle distance holding some random flowers. Where the hell did you get those anywa- OUCH!I" He grinned as Mercedes elbowed him sharply in the ribs. "No, seriously" he continued "It doesn't capture your inner joy. I guess it sums up the way things are between you and me right now. But at least this way I still get to say good morning and see your smiling face every day."

He saw the expression on her face and couldn't help but be affected. He hadn't meant to make her sad by saying that. He was just stating the truth. "I miss us."

She opened her mouth to give what looked like a protest, but all she ended up saying was "I miss us too" in a sad voice.

As he was thinking up something more to say to her, Kurt appeared around the corner and seeing her opportunity to escape the conversation which had now become unexpectedly heavy she fled towards him.

Yet again he didn't bother to pretend that he wasn't staring at her ass as she went.

* * *

><p>Sam sat on the bleachers waiting impatiently for Mike who was most likely saying a long and lingering goodbye to Tina somewhere. His reflections were suddenly interrupted by a female voice.<p>

"Penny for your thoughts?"

He looked up to see Jordana heading over and she took a seat beside him.

"You know I think we're both in the same boat." She said, sighing heavily.

"What boat is that?"

"The boat where the guy that _I _want to take _me_ to prom is probably going to take the girl that _you_ want to go to prom with."

Sam sighed heavily. She was spot on. Time was running out for him to get a prom date. Sure he'd had lots of offers, but none of them were the one that he actually wanted.

Jordana looked as miserable as he felt. He knew that she got on with Shane but it had never occurred to him that she liked him like _that. _In all honesty he didn't know what she would have seen in him but the more he thought of it the more it did make sense. The guy was solid in more than just a physical sense. Sure he had threatened Sam, but it was only what he had deserved. Sam knew that if it was any other guy he would have received more than just a verbal warning. Shane was a popular, decent guy who nobody had any problems with. Apart from him. And he was the cause of those problems, not Shane.

As far as he was concerned, Shane's only fault right now was spending so much time with Mercedes. From what he had observed, Shane worshipped the ground that she walked on. But she saw him only as a friend. It was a shame because he had a totally hot girl who was really into him but his obsession with Mercedes was blinding him to it. Not only that, Sam could not forget the threat that Shane had made to him about leaving Mercedes alone.

The problem was, he couldn't leave Mercedes alone. He needed her. And if that meant eventually having to take Shane on then it would be worth it. Being in love with her didn't mean that he wasn't going to fight to get her back, it just meant that he was going to fight clean rather than dirty from now on.

He'd spent the last few days thinking about Shane's final words to him when he'd pulled him into the side room. He hadn't said to leave Mercedes alone, the exact words were 'If you can't love, her then leave her the hell alone."

He had tried to leave her alone but it just wasn't working. Because he did love her. He was pretty sure that he always would. And therefore he fit the single piece of criteria which allowed him to pursue Mercedes Jones without risk of physical injury.

"Shane doesn't like you, does he?"

Jordana was looking at him thoughtfully.

Sam shook his head. "Nope. But I deserve it."

"Because of Mercedes?"

"Because of Mercedes. I was out of order and I deserve his hatred. When I came back to McKinley I did everything in my power to break them up. And I succeeded. I was selfish and I- shit-" Sam suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotion and Jordana rubbed his back sympathetically. It's not like he was about to cry, more like he was simply lost for words and lost for a way to express himself.

"You know she still likes you" she said softly.

"Huh?"

"I mean, she stands next to Shane but her eyes are on you. Like all the time. It drives him mad. Besides, I know for a fact that she only hangs around with him in school. Besides church i'm pretty sure they don't see each others outside of school hours."

Sam pretended that his heart didn't race at that revelation as he distractedly scraped his sneaker along the ground. "Mercedes and I missed our chance." He said sadly.

"I'm not so sure."

Sam perked up. This was the second time in the same day that he was hearing this. Was it worth taking notice of after all? Every time he got the idea into his head that he was going to go for it, something would always cause him to back out. In all honesty he was scared. Not of Shane because he would willingly take a beating if he had to for Mercedes' sake, but for the fact that it could all explode in his face. He might read the situation wrongly. It had been a couple of months and now Mercedes might well be over him. Or moved on and back into Shane's arms despite what Jordana had just said. Or worse still, she could decide that as she was going to graduate while he stayed, it would not be worth persuing any type of a relationship.

Worse than being rejected was the idea of being rejected with the thought that they had been a mistake in the first place. Because it wasn't. Maybe it was some freak accident of friendship that brought them together, but when he thought of himself with Mercedes, he knew that if he played his cards right he could have what his mom and dad have, what his uncle Ned has and what his grandpa and grandma had.

But maybe it was already too late. Just three weeks left to senior prom and history being made.

"I don't think I'm going to go."

Sam focused his thought back onto the girl sitting next to him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean prom. I don't think I can go. I'll only sit there alone and dateless getting mad watching the guy I like spending the night with another girl."

"Hey you can sit with me. I'll be doing the same thing."

She smiled. "We can sit on either side of the room and side-eye them from opposite directions."

He laughed. "Yeah. That would be funny. I wonder if they would feel the intensity of our glares!"

"Nah. They'll be too busy enjoying themselves."

"But seriously Dana, you can't miss out on prom. I know you're new but you have to at least get the McKinley prom experience. Otherwise you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Besides, you're gorgeous! I bet you've had loads of asks."

She shook her head sadly. "Not really. Don't forget, I'm the new girl, so lots of people don't know me yet. Plus I'm taller than a large percentage of the guys in the school and it intimidates them. They're not attracted to girls who make even tall guys look short. They want somebody cute that they can tuck under their arm. Besides, it's prom. And I want to wear my heels!"

"So wear them. If your dates a good guy he wouldn't care. If I was taking you to prom it would be because I knew that I would be having fun. Height or size or anything like that shouldn't matter!"

"It does to a lot of people."

"Yeah. Well it doesn't to me. My grandpa once said to me 'the only size that matters is the size of a girl's heart.' And it was one of the wisest things he ever said."

Jordana stared at him hard for a moment before leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek. Sam nearly jumped out of his skin. "What was that for?"

She shrugged. "It just felt right. Mercedes doesn't know what she's missing."

"I was a douche. She's probably thanking herself for her lucky escape."

"And I already told you that she isn't. Maybe you were a douche. I don't know because I didn't know you then. All I know is that right now you're a guy who's crazy about a girl and shouldn't give up on her just yet."

"So what do I do?"

"Make her see what she's missing! Make her jealous! Give her a chance to see that you- Oh my god Sam! I've just had the most amazing idea!" She grabbed his arm excitedly and almost scared the living daylights out of him yet again.

"What idea?"

"Seriously! Why the hell didn't I come up with this before?" She was shaking her head disbelievingly.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about prom! Shane and Mercedes are going as friends. Maybe the two of us can go together as friends too. Then we can make them jealous! Mercedes will finally realize that she's crazy for you and Shane will see me all dressed up and finally notice that I'm more than just one of the boys."

Sam thought about it but had his doubts. "I'm not sure about this…"

"Come on Sam. It makes perfect sense. I see you every day fending off those Cheerios who keep pestering you about who you're taking to prom. As far as they're concerned you're free for the taking and whoever gets you can flash you about like a trophy. It would be a shame for one of them to finally wear you down. If we go together, we can both focus on getting what we want without involving anyone else. After all, we do both want the same thing."

When she put it that way it did start to make perfect sense.

The sound of her cellphone ringing filled the air and she quickly checked the caller id. "Okay Sam I have to go. This is my ride calling. But think about what I said. We could be good for each other. You don't have to decide right now. Think on it tonight and we'll chat tomorrow."

She quickly answered her cell before the call rang off and waved at him as she headed towards the parking lot.

Sam stayed seated in stunned silence. The thought of going to prom with somebody else had not really crossed his mind. It was too late to as Mercedes with any hope of her saying yes despite the thaw in the treatment towards him. And Jordana was a pretty girl and a great person.

_Surely he had nothing to lose by going along with the crazy plan?_


	12. All Hail The King!

**_So I decided to switch things up a bit thanks to my wonderful romantic boyfriend who is now my wonderful romantic fiancée! I swear my feet still haven't hit the ground yet. But I can't really do angsty right now thanks to this lovely guy so you have my man to thank for the lack of Jordana drama. (And because I also do take review suggestions seriously.)_**

**_Oh and I totally rec writing fanfiction while sitting on the beach drinking sangria. It frees the imagination!_**

* * *

><p><em>As usual Sam dreamed of Mercedes. Since his dream 'memory' of what he had said to Mercedes the night of Marcus' party, every dream kept going back to that night and how it could have been. Things kept changing at different points but they would all reach the same hot and steamy conclusion. This one was no different, with them starting off asleep, simply spooning but ending with them still side by side, but this time with her top leg bent and thrown back over his hip as he fucked her from behind as they both lay on their sides. The room was silent apart from the sound of the slap of their skin. He could feel so vividly the way that he had one arm underneath her, the hand alternating between cradling her belly and fondling her breasts from behind. The other was rubbing gentle circles on her clit.<em>

_They were both barely awake but her head was turned towards him, her scarf slipping from her head as she allowed her moans to be smothered by his kisses. Two of Sam's favorite pastimes combined into one. Fucking and spooning Mercedes at the same time..._

He woke up with a gasp, sticky cum on his hand, belly and thigh. Thankfully he had resorted to laying a towel on his bed before going to sleep at night because the frequent occurences of sticky sheets were getting difficult to hide and explain.

After rubbing another quick one out in the shower he quickly dressed and headed downstairs before Stevie ate all of the breakfast.

The younger boy shrugged unapologetically at the single slice of toast that remained on the plate in the center of the table. "You took too long in the bathroom and i'm a growing boy!"

Sam scowled at his brother as he quickly snatched up the toast before going on the hunt for some cereal. "Where's mom and dad?" He asked between mouthfuls.

"They've gone to work."

"So how the hell are we supposed to get to school?"

Stacy looked up from her bowl and gave him a scathing look. "I'm telling mommy you cursed!"

Stevie just laughed and said "You're taking us!" pointing to a set of keys and a note next to the sink. Quickly snatching them up Sam skimmed through the letter before running outside. It wasn't much. In fact it was pretty beat up. But for the first time since last summer he had his own set of wheels! He read through the note from his parents again, explaining that they appreciated all the work that he had done to support the family and now that they had inherited some money from his grandpa, they wanted to help restore some of the independence that he had lost while things were financially difficult for him. But with independence comes responsibility and he was now back on duty for the school run for his younger siblings as he had been before.

Sam didn't mind. He was just overwhelmed. He heard Stevie coming out behind him but didn't turn immediately because of the tears that were stinging his eyes.

Maybe, just maybe, things were starting to finally pick up for him.

* * *

><p>"There you are Sam!"<p>

He spun around in the halls to see Jordana walkin alongside Mercedes. She looked thrilled to see him as the excitement in her voice had indicated. Mercedes was less so.

"Hey Mercedes!" She nodded and shuffled her feet but avoided his eyes. Definitely a cooler response than yesterday and he wasn't sure what it was that he had done to upset her this time.

"Sam I need to speak to you. But…" Jordana looked between Sam and Mercedes then frowned. "I guess it can wait…"

"No. It's fine. I need to go and find Kurt anyway!" Mercedes stepped away from Jordana and was gone in an instant.

"What was all that about?" Sam asked, worried.

It was Jordana's turn to shuffle her feet and look worried. "We were talking about prom. I was trying to fish out of her whether or not she's going with Shane and I may have accidentally let slip that I might be going with you. I think it upset her but she's trying to hide it and act normal."

He bit his lip before saying what he should have said the second the conversation had come up the night before. "Look, I don't want to upset you, but Mercedes and I have fallen foul of the whole making each other jealous thing once before and I'm not going to make the same mistake again. She means too much to me for that to happen. It would be a complete mistake if we went to prom together."

Jordana nodded. "I know. I understand. It was a stupid idea. I was thinking about it last night and I knew I would feel terrible if our games backfired on us and ended up drawing them closer together." She bit her lip. "It's just that I really like him Sam. And so far in my life, it's always been the guy who has pursued me. This time it's the other way around and I don't know how to act."

Sam smiled and patted her arm, just as he would to Mike or any other one of the guys. "I learned the hard way that sometimes you just have to be honest. And I'm not too great at that myself. That's why Shane hates me. But I've changed. And I need both him and Mercedes to see that I've changed. So I won't be playing any games anymore, even if we both do have the same goal."

"I understand. I should go find Mercedes and put her straight."

He shook his head. "Let me go. You're not the one she's mad with. And she needs all of her friends right now. Besides, any excuse to talk to her is good with me!"

He shot the tall girl a parting grin and headed off to find Mercedes.

It wasn't difficult to find her. She was by her locker. She always seemed to be by her locker and he was starting to wonder what the hell she kept in there. "Mercedes?"

She sighed. "What do you want Sam?"

"Jordana thinks that she might have upset you."

She didn't even pause in what she was doing. "Well you can tell her from me that she hasn't and everything is fine between us."

"That's what I thought. I'm pretty sure that _I'm _the one that you're upset with."

Mercedes froze, immediately stopping what she was doing before slowly closing her locker door and looking at him. "And why would anything you do upset me?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I thought maybe you might have got the wrong end of the stick about something."

"I'm sure I didn't."

"That's good." He nervously shoved his hands into his back pockets and started speaking way too fast. "Because she was worried that you thought maybe I was going to prom with her but that couldn't be further from the truth. You see, we did talk about the whole going as friends thing, but there's this guy that she really likes and she really holding out in the hope that he'll ask her even though he seems to still be caught up in another girl. And as for me, there's only one girl that I would ever dream of asking to prom. But I keep chickening out because I really messed things up with her before and I'm honestly not sure if she'll give me another chance."

She raised an eyebrow but didn't back away. "Is that so?"

"Yeah it is." He leaned against the lockers while staring at her intently. "You seem like a wise person. What do you think I should do to try and win this girl back?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe quit being such an annoying arrogant douchebag?" There was a smile in her eyes as she said the words and he didn't miss it.

"I've been trying. But I'm not sure she's even noticed."

"Oh, you'd be surprised what a girl notices when she's not being distracted by her feelings."

He raised his eyebrow and moved in closer. "Oh yeah?"

She looked away. "Yeah."

"So I'm forgiven?"

She sighed. "Don't run ahead of yourself Sam. Just because I've seen flashes of Sam from last summer, doesn't mean you've completely changed."

He licked his lips nervously, knowing he had to be really careful with his next words. "You know that version of Sam from last summer was really into you, right? And he never completely went away. He just hid because he felt that he needed to protect himself."

"Protect himself from what?"

Sam opened his mouth to reply, but the bell went before he had the chance._ Dammit!_ The most progress he had made with her in months and he was being interrupted. They needed to have this conversation somewhere outside of the constant interruptions of school. But for now he would take their last couple of minutes as progress. At least she knows that he wants to take her to prom and the way he saw it, she didn't blow him out of the water completely.

Even she looked disappointed by the sound of the bell. "Look Sam, I have to…"

"Yeah. I know. So do I. But we will talk about this soon okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

Sam fought the urge to fist bump the air. It may have been said quietly but she definitely agreed. _The great thaw was in full swing!_

Instead of vocalizing his excitement, he chose to offer her the Vulcan salute instead.

She giggled and shook her head. "You fool!"

"As always. Besides, my work here is done. My mission has been accomplished."

"What mission?"

"To make you smile."

Mercedes giggled even louder as she turned and walked away.

_I'd be a fool for you any day Mercedes Jones!_

That day and the next, every time Mercedes saw him, she smiled. And it made his world that little bit brighter.

* * *

><p>Sam strolled into the rehearsal room and looked for a seat. As usual Mercedes was already there on the back row, flanked by Kurt and Quinn. As he took his seat he looked up at her and smiled. After a second she looked down at him and smiled back. But this time, instead of shyly looking away he held her gaze and held her smile for a couple of heartbeats forcing her to be the one to look away with a blush.<p>

Definite progress.

Before he had the chance to think on things any further, Mr Schue strolled into the room. Late as usual. He went straight to the chalk board and wrote two short words on it. Sam could barely contain his excitement when he saw them.

_The king._

The teacher then turned back to the class with a smile. "So who can tell me who this is?"

Brittany's hand immediately shot up. Everybody cringed, yet at the same time they were desperate to hear just what she was going to come up with.

"Yes Brittany" He said in a resigned voice.

She rubbed her hands together excitedly. "This one's so easy! He's Prince Charming's father!"

There were scattered sniggers in the room and the teacher released a sigh. Santana shot death glares at those who had laughed. "Actually, she wan't far off considering his daughter was married to the father of a son called Prince."

Brittany's face immediately brightened. "That's exactly what i meant!" she said excitedly taking her girl's hand.

"Thankyou" said their teacher graciously. "Anyone alternative suggestions?"

Puck got in before anyone else "We're talking here about _the one and only Elvis Presley_. And he was the King, not only of Rock and Roll, but also of the magical hip thrust! _Thankyouverymuch!_" He accompanied his bad impression and lip curl with a couple of thrusts in his seat resulting in groans from every female in the room, plus Kurt.

"Thankyou Puck. I think..."

Rachel's hand was up and she could barely contain herself in her seat. "Mr Schue, while i accept that Elvis was popular with the masses during his time, I don't really see how his music has any relevance to show chior!"

Sam sat back in his seat and closed his eyes with a smile. He had been about to chip in with a shout out to Memphis, Tennessee but he had the feeling that his girl was about to handle some business and he wouldn't have traded that for the world.

The idiotic Rachel was still talking. "I mean, yes he sold millions of records, but when it comes to his musical movies, he showed that perhaps his music isn't what we should be basing ourselves on if we want to be successful!"

Sam looked to his side to see Artie with his head in his hands, muttering in sheer disbelief at Rachel's disrespect and failing to find the appropriate words with which to sting her. Sam could feel the fury of Mercedes bubbling from the back row. But as ever, Rachel was too busy cluelessly enjoying the sound of her own voice to consider what else was going on in the room as she stupidly carried on. "Besides, it's not as if any of his music influenced the greats of stage and screen. It influenced a generation but not in the important ways-"

Sam heard the chair scrape behind him and his smile broadened.

"Oh HELL NO Rachel! You will NOT dismiss the value of what Elvis did. While I may not completely agree with the way that it was done, using the face of an attractive white man, the fact is NOBODY can deny that Elvis was one of the forerunners in bringing African American music into the mainstream!"

Rachel spun in her seat to glare up at Mercedes. "Stop with your always trying to make everything into a race issue Mercedes! Might i remind you that Barbara Streisand was Jewish!"

"And might i remind you that my hands can break your skinny little ass-"

Hands grabbed at Mercedes to hold her back and Mr Schue looked at how yet again he was losing control of his class.

"Okay i need you to calm down Mercedes!" He was scowling now. "Rachel was only expressing an opinion."

"And i was correcting her! Why is it that she is always allowed to spew out her foolishness, but whenever i try to bring out the facts i get shot down?"

"Let me hear an amen!" Artie found the perfect moment to rediscover his voice and Sam quickly gave him the loudest amen as well as a fist bump.

_And this is why my girl is so fucking awesome!_

"But-" Rachel was looking pleadingly at the teacher who avoided her eyes, sensing a rebellion.

"Just shut it Hobbit! Believe it or not, after 3 years this class is all about music, not all about you. Now read my lips and shut the fuck up coz Britts and I wants to gets our Elvis on!"

This time instead of amens it was applause filling the room and Rachel sank into her seat in a huff. "Santana, please watch your language. Rachel and Mercedes i want to see you both after class." Rachel could tell that Mr Shue wasn't going to help her with this one. He was the one who had chosen Elvis in the first place but he would wait for some privacy before saying his piece.

Mercedes still looked angry, but when she caught Sam's eye she managed a nod and a smile.

Sam tried to hang back and wait for Mercedes but he had the kids to pick up. Stealing one final glance into the room he smiled at the sight of a flustered Mr Schue with Mercedes practically jabbing her finger in Rachel's chest and saying "Did you not watch the whole of Hairspray and Dreamgirls or did you just fast forward to the songs?"

Then he turned to leave before he fell even more in love with her than he already was.

While he walked down the hallway, Sam smiled as an idea began to take form in his head. The thing that had upset Mercedes the most was the way that he had kept their relationship under wraps. It had played right into her insecurities. Well he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice! This time he was more than prepared to shout to the world just how many levels of crazy he was about her.

As he neared the main entrance he saw Artie wheeling along with Santana and Brittany and raced to catch them up. "Guys! Can I ask a huge favor? Will you be my backup for my Glee assignment this week?"

Yep. For once Sam Evans knew exactly how he was going to win back the girl he loved. No more lying, no more deceit and definitely no more jealousy.

Just The King.

He knew just what song he was going to sing. And if it worked, he might even pay his own visit to Graceland to give his thanks.


	13. Always On My Mind

**_Thanks so much for all the reviews and the congratulations best wishes. I really feel loved by you all and wish everybody happiness._**

**_And wasn't the Olympic opening ceremony amazing! My cousin was in the GOSH dance. They put some SERIOUS work into that! So proud! _**

**_Sorry this chapter is so short but I've got to go out in a minute._**

* * *

><p>Sam's week passed quickly. He spent a couple of his breaks rehearsing vocals with Brittanny and Santana who finally admitted that he might just have <em>some<em> game when he told her of his plan.

Everywhere he went Mercedes seemed to be there and she continued with her smiles. He was sure she was ready to take him back. He just had to let her know for sure that he had changed.

Jordana helped him by distracting Mercedes. She also spied out Shane and was pleased to report that he was far less hung up on Mercedes. In fact, he had been hanging out with Mercedes less and he had even flirted with her a little when she hung back after one of his football games. Knowing that her happiness was partially dependent on Sam's success with Mercedes she was happy to help him out as much as she could.

And yet, as quickly as it seemed to be passing, Thursday still could not come fast enough. He took care getting ready that morning, teaming slacks with a green shirt that brought out his eyes. He fully intended for Mercedes to be doing a lot of staring into his eyes.

Finally school ended and it was time for Glee club. Mercedes always arrived quickly and he made sure that Britts and Santana arrived at the same time so that they could sit with her on the front row, one on either side of her. He needed her in a particular seat for this to work.

And then it began.

Before Mr Schue even had a chance to speak Sam was up. "Do you mind if I go first? I've worked really hard on this and I really need to get it out quickly."

The teacher frowned but agreed. It was usually Rachel busting at the seams to perform but he was always just happy for his students to be taking an interest. He nodded at Sam who gave him a watery smile back. "I hope you don't mind but I've got, Brittany and Santana to sing backing for me. But I'm doing all the Elvis part."

"Okay. Just start when you're ready."

Brittany and Santana leaped up from their seats, leaving Mercedes sitting alone, front and center, just where he wanted her to be. They took their places, flanking Sam from behind.

Artie rolled past and handed her a single red rose, with the words _from Sam _attached.

Sam took a deep breath. "Mercedes, this performance is for you. There's things I should have got off my chest a long time ago and hopefully the words of The King will help me. Please just do me a favor and hear me out."

She blinked a few times and he could tell that she was confused but it would all become clear very very soon.

Without breaking eye contact he began his song.

_Maybe I didn't treat you  
>Quite as good as I should have<br>Maybe I didn't love you  
>Just the way I really should have<br>Little things I should have said and done  
>I just never took the time<em>

Sam's deep voice was perfect for singing Elvis and even Mr Schue looked suitably impressed.

The voices of Brittany and Santana joined him from the chorus.  
><em><br>You are always on my mind  
>You are always on my mind<em>

Sam walked forward until he was standing in front of her. Mercedes quickly looked from side to side in disbelief that he was singing to her. And the empty seats on either side meant she was his only focus as he continued with the next verse.

_Maybe I didn't hold you  
>All those lonely lonely times<br>And I guess I never told you  
>I'm so happy that you're mine<br>If I made you feel second best  
>Girl I'm sorry I was blind<em>

_You were always on my mind  
>You were always on my mind<em>

Sam stood, frozen to the spot, his arm reached out, begging her to understand.

_Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died  
>Give me, one more chance to keep you satisfied<br>Sat-is-fied_

Sam moved from his position of standing in front of Mercedes to kneeling and taking the hands that were resting on her lap gently into his with the rose between them. He could feel his eyes stinging with tears but he didn't care. He needed her to see him, all of him.

She was crying now but still held his stare.

And more importantly, he needed her to hear what he had to say. "Mercedes, in front of everyone here I want to apologize for the way that I treated you. I was selfish and I didn't think beyond myself. What we had together was amazing and with all the craziness that was happening around me I wanted to keep us inside a little bubble of perfection. But I see now that wasn't right. How were you supposed to know how I felt about you if I didn't tell you? How were others supposed to know and back off if I didn't shout to the world that you were the best thing in my life? Crazy, sexy and cool all rolled into one gorgeous package, that's what you are and that's what you always will be to me. And I know I'm probably doing this way too late but I wouldn't be able to live myself if I didn't at least try by telling you and everyone else in this room who cares to listen, just how I really felt about you since last summer."

Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head but he could tell that she was still listening carefully to everything he said when he began to sing again.

_Wise men say, only fools rush in  
>But I can't help falling in love with you<br>Shall I stay? Would I be a sin?  
>If I can't help falling in love with you?<em>

_Like a river flows, surely to the sea  
>Darling so it goes, some things are meant to be<br>Take my hand, take my whole life too  
>For I can't help, falling in love with you<br>For I can't help, falling in love with you_

The music stopped and Sam stayed frozen to the spot, staring up at her expectantly. _There. He'd said it._

A response. That's all he needed. Anything at all would be good right now.

But all he was faced with were Mercedes' streaming eyes fixed on his with an expression he couldn't make out. Then suddenly her shoulders started to heave and a strangled sob escaped her mouth.

Seconds later her hands were out of his and she was gone out the door.

The room stayed frozen in a stunned silence for what felt like an eternity until suddenly Quinn leapt up and followed her out of the room.

Sam was momentarily paralyzed. _Should he run after her or was she running away from him. Was this her answer? Was he too late?_

He looked up with a panicked expression at his fellow classmates who were all lost in emotion themselves. Tina, of course, was crying. Mike had her pulled flush against his chest, comforting her while also shooting looks of approval at Sam. Finn had his arm around Rachel and they were both smiling. Santana and Brittany were holding hands thoughtfully and even Kurt and Blaine were making eyes at each other. Artie was the only one looking uncomfortable in the moment with nobody to share it with.

Sam felt exposed and wanted to escape from the stares of his fellow clubbers, especially as he couldn't control the tears that were streaming down his face, but his legs felt like lead and refused to move. He took a couple of deep gulping breaths to try and calm himself and the moment was finally broken by Mr Schue.

"You are excused Sam."

_Of course he was. He needed to go after Mercedes and get his answer. Whatever it would be he would accept it. But he'd laid himself on the line and now he _had_ to know._

It was as if the teacher's words had released whatever grip the floor had on his feet and he was finally able to grab his bag and flee for the door.

There was no sign of Mercedes or Quinn when he got out but he knew they couldn't be far.

And much as he liked Quinn and was grateful for her help, this time, he and Mercedes really needed to talk. Just the two of them.

Wiping the tears from his face he started walking towards the nearest girl's bathroom.

It was finally time... and now he was on his way to make it happen...


	14. A Little More Conversation A Little Less

Sam stood outside the girl's bathroom for about five minutes, willing himself to go in and rapidly losing the battle.

_It's the girl's bathrooms for fuck's sake!_

He used the time to take deep breaths and compose himself. _How the hell had he ended up bawling like a baby in front of the entire Glee club? _He took a little comfort in the fact that it was just a small stream from his eyes rather than the ugly sob that he had somehow managed to hold down as he watched the love of his life flee the room before he had reached the end of his performance. It wasn't much comfort. He was never going to be allowed to live that one down. But for now he had far more important things on his mind.

_Enough of the waiting!_

He closed his eyes and took one final calming cleansing breath before placing his hand on the door. On the count of three he was just going to go for it.

_One…_

_Two…_

_Two and a half…_

_Two and three quarters…_

_Thr-_

"What the-"

Sam nearly fell forwards as the door opened in front of him and Quinn appeared. Without breaking her stride or looking even the least bit surprised at his presence there she pulled him by the arm to follow her. After a few steps she stopped and turned to glare at him so hard he felt naked under her stare. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Luckily for him, Quinn seemed to read exactly what she was looking for in his face and be satisfied with it. "Just don't screw it up this time!" She quickly released his arms and muttered something about Mercedes' stuff before vanishing quickly down the hall.

The coast was clear. She was all his now.

Sam wasted no time in heading back to the bathroom and this time going straight through the door. Her back was towards him as she leaned forwards over the basins.

She didn't turn around. "Quinn I told you _I'm fine_. I just needed a moment!"

Sam stayed silent for a couple of seconds before speaking up. "It's me."

He expected to turn around but she didn't. She froze for a brief moment before rapidly wiping at her face with paper towels and straightening her hair. He secretly rejoiced at the sight. _She's trying to straighten up because it's me!_

"You know, you don't have to stress. I've seen you cry before. You made me sit with you and watch Marley and Me. Don't you remember?"

"I remember."

"And I told you that you were the only person that I allowed to get snot on my Avengers tee. Even Stacy wouldn't be able to get away with that." He stepped forward until he was next to her.

"And I laughed and rubbed my entire face on your chest and you squirmed because you knew snot would come off but you weren't sure about mascara." She gripped the edge of the basin.

"And I said I couldn't believe you would make me sit through a movie like that even though I secretly enjoyed it and my own eyes were burning at the end too."

She finally turned to face him. Even with puffy bloodshot eyes she still looked beautiful. "I really loved those moments."

"So did I." He leaned forward and smoothed away a stray strand of hair that she had missed. "I want to get back to that place again with you Mercedes."

He expected her to step back or push him away but she did neither. Instead she sighed sadly. "So do I. But it's not that simple Sam."

He nodded. "I know. I have to prove myself to you. And I promise I will. I just need for you to give me another chance."

She stared down at the floor, saying nothing. Sam stared hard at her features. She looked tired, broken. And he had done this to her. And he would do everything in his power to try and fix it.

"Did you mean what you said?" She still couldn't fully meat his eyes.

"Yes. Of course I did. I just wish I'd had the courage to say them sooner."

Mercedes sighed. "This is a mess."

"I know. But I'm trying to fix it."

"And Shane's going to kill when he finds out about your little stunt."

"It'll be worth it." Sam said the words with a shrug. "I guess he needs to know just how serious I am about you, just like you do."

"So now you're serious about me?" He nodded and she bit her lip. "Why now?"

"Now is the time that I finally realized I have to stop being a coward about my feelings. I never felt as strongly for anyone before as I feel for you. I know my reputation with girls has not been the greatest and I was scared to give up my freedom and fun for one person. If there's one thing I've learned since I left Lima, it's that there's so much truth in the phrase 'you don't know what you've got til it's gone.' I missed you so much. You made me want to be a better person. But I didn't treat you right because I didn't know how to, and after you were gone I spiraled out of control without your grounding influence. I know I'm not perfect but all I'm asking if for you to give me a second chance." He smiled at her as she slowly lifted her eyes to meet his. "I didn't mean to upset you in front of everybody. It's just that I thought if I upset you for keeping us secret, the way to fix it would be to say how I feel about you in front of everybody. But then you left and…"

"No."

"No?" He frowned, not understanding what she meant. "I wasn't crying because I was upset. I was crying because I was overwhelmed. I didn't expect it Sam. The first song, and then your words, and then the second song. It was…" She shook her head, struggling to find the word. "It was… perfect."

Sam's heart began to beat so fast it started to ring in his ears.

_Perfect._

She was looking down at the floor again. He reached to touch one of her hands and let out a gentle sigh of relief when she didn't pull it away. She didn't move any closer but neither was she rejecting him.

They stayed like that in silence for a couple of minutes, both unsure as to where to go from here. What he wanted to do was heave her up onto the vanity unit, kiss her senseless and fuck her silly but this wasn't the way it was going to go down. That's what had got him into trouble. Avoiding issues by distracting them with sex. This time he was going to do things right.

"You know, considering you thought my performance was perfect, you actually left before I got to the end."

"Really?" She looked up at him in surprise.

"Yeah. I had one last thing." He reached into his bag for the box inside but then thought better of it. "But I'm starting to think maybe now's not the best time."

He could see her curiosity getting the better of her but he refused to give in. "Maybe later."

"Stop being such a tease!"

"I'm not. It's just that this isn't the right moment. You kinda killed me stone dead in there!" He shot her a weak lopsided smile which she returned.

"Sam, you know we have stuff to talk about."

"I know."

The both stared at each other as they heard the sound of the bell marking the end of their day. It was something they both were unwilling to hear.

"Sam I-"

"Yeah, I know. I have to go and pick up the kids right now too."

"I saw. So you have a car now?"

"Yep. I'll tell you all about it sometime."

He saw her head suddenly snap to the door and he turned to see it closing and Mercedes' bag suddenly next to it. _So that's what Quinn was doing._

"We can't stay in here. It'll get busy in a second." Sam followed her as she retrieved her bag and flung it over her shoulder.

"So when can we talk?"

She shrugged. "I don't know." He followed her as she headed out into the hall and started to walk towards the main entrance. "What are you doing later?"

"Mom and dad are coming back late so mom's left some stuff for me to feed Stacy and Stevie before she gets in."

She nodded slowly to herself as she listened. "What about after?"

"I'm free after. Do you want me to come round?"

She shook her head. _Of course that would be a bad idea. "_Why don't we meet out somewhere to have our talk. Maybe get something sweet to eat after we've had our dinners?"

"Yeah. Sounds good. Where do you have in mind?"

"How about the icecream place we went to with the kids and Quinn and Shane?"

"Hmmmm…" He pretended to think about it before grinning. "Hey, are you asking me out Mercedes Jones?"

"Hell no!" She shoved him with her shoulder and he did an internal fist pump when he suddenly realized that this was the first time that she had initiated physical contact with him in months. "Just suggesting neutral territory. I don't trust you in my house yet."

He nodded, knowing that he couldn't blame her for assuming he would take advantage of her being home alone. Not when he had spent the whole of last summer doing that precise thing. They heard voices in the hallway and she moved faster. "Sorry Sam but I'm not ready to face anyone else yet after what happened." Of course he understood. He felt the same. The barrage of questions headed his way would make him late so he too hurried, but not before taking a moment to enjoy the retreating form of Mercedes as she made her way to her car with a single glance and smile back at him.

_This is definitely a situation I can work with…_

* * *

><p>It took longer to than Sam expected for his mom to come home and he had to text Mercedes to let her know that he was running fifteen minutes late. By the time he had finally driven round to the icecream parlour and parked he was starting to feel sick with nerves. Worse still, there was no sign of Mercedes' car in the parking lot. He stayed in his seat and tried his hardest not to panic. Quickly checking his phone he re-read the simple 2 word message of 'no problem' that she had sent him in response to his informing her of the delay. <em>So why wasn't she here?<em>

Poor Stacy and Stevie had had no idea what to do with a brother who was in such a state of distraction that he had taken a wrong turning on the way home and even served up their food without heating it up in the microwave first! And the lateness of their mom had only served to heighten his anxiety. It was really important that he got things right with Mercedes this time. And the key to doing that was not to rush things. Their previous relationship, while starting with friendship, had descended into the purely sexual. This time, while he was still after the sex, he wanted to let Mercedes know that he loved her for her, not just for her body. It was going to be hard keeping his hands off her, but if that was what it took, then let no man say that Sam Evans has no self control. To misquote the words of The King, a little more conversation a little less action was the order of the day.

With a sigh he made his way out of the car and headed inside, his heart beating rapidly when he saw her sitting alone at one of the booths and he broke out into smile.

She returned the smile, not quite so wide but equally as genuine. She looked beautiful. She had changed from her school clothes and was now wearing a purple sweater and large hooped earrings. Her lip gloss looked freshly applied and her eyes which were previously puffy from tears now held more of their usual sparkle.

"You came." His words came out more like an exhale.

"Of course I came."

He slipped in opposite her. "I didn't see your car and got worried."

"Oh. I walked. It was a good opportunity to get some thinking done and when you walk through the park it really doesn't take too long."

"So did you do much thinking?"

"Yeah I did." Her expression was unreadable and Sam didn't know what to think. If it was going to be bad, surely she wouldn't have come? _But what if something had changed between school and now? Maybe she had talked to one of her friends. Perhaps Kurt said something to make her stop and think twice. Or maybe Quinn had spoken to her. He hoped that if it was anybody it would be Quinn because she still seemed to be on his side._

Biting his bottom lip he grabbed at a menu. "So what are you going to order?"

She didn't even look at the menu. "Chocolate fudge sundae."

He nodded. "Sounds good. I think I'll get the same."

Once the orders had been placed they both fell silent and the tension returned. "Where do we even start with this?"

"About earlier-"

"I know."

"No. I need to explain… I wasn't running away. I just needed to put a little bit of space between you and me. You clearly had time to think this through and rehearse. This is all one massive shock to me. I woke up this morning thinking it would be a normal day and it's been anything but."

"Yeah. Sorry for that."

"But having had a couple of hours. It has helped."

"I'm glad." There was still this uncomfortableness between them and Sam didn't know what to do to make it better. He watched as Mercedes fingered her plastic menu, looking uncertain. "So I need to know Sam, what else were you planning. What did I miss the end of that you couldn't tell me earlier?"

His grin was wide. Mercedes was rubbish with surprises and secrets. It had probably been bugging her since school. It was finally time to put her out of her misery. He slid the white box over to her and she opened it hesitantly.

"Just so you know. It isn't the actual one. It's just a gesture!"

Spurred on by his cryptic statement, she worked harder to get the get the box open and gasped when she saw the contents. Inside lay a white flower. A corsage.

"It's not the actual one, it's just a gesture because I don't know what color your dress will be. And white is the color of peace, coz, well, I come in peace." Sam could feel himself blushing like crazy but his word vomit was unrelenting. "And, well, Artie was supposed to hand me the box while I was kneeling in front of you and I was supposed to hand it to you and… well…" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Are you asking me to prom Sam?"

_Shit! The girl just stole my thunder!_

"Yeah. I guess. I sort of had this whole idea in my head of how it was going to go down. It was supposed to be all romantic and memorable, not sitting across from you in a shitty icecream place."

"I happen to like it in here! One of the families from my church owns it."

Sam could have kicked himself. "I'm not saying this place is crap. I love it here! Oh god…" He buried his face in his hands and was surprised to hear Mercedes giggle and pull the hands from his face.

"I'm just kidding! You're so cute when you get all nervous and flustered."

He arched his eyebrow. "Oh so now I'm cute?"

"The waitress who took our order seemed to think so."

"I don't care what the waitress thinks. I want to know what _you _think!"

"I thought you would already know the answer to that without asking."

He leaned forward. "Maybe I do. But the real question I need an answer to is if you would do me the honor of going to prom with me mizz Jones."

"Two chocolate fudge sundaes!" The waitress was already in Mercedes' bad books for flirting with him and now she was in his for her terrible timing.

He leaned back into his seat and tried hard not to glare at her while she set down their desserts and spent far too long laying down their napkins and spoons. How she managed to not spontaneously combust from the firery stares they both gave her as she pushed the box with the corsage to the side of the table was a miracle in itself.

"Well?" The waitress had finally gone and Mercedes was making swirls in her whipped cream with her spoon. It took her a while to make eye contact with him. _Surely it was just a simple yes/no question. Preferably with the answer being yes!_

"When do you need to know by?" Not the answer he had been expecting.

"Despite what you may have thought about what was going on with Jordana, you are the only girl I've asked to prom. I have no plan B. So if you need a few days to think about it, that's fine with me. The fact that you haven't instantly said no is hope enough for me right now."

"Thank you Sam." She nodded slowly and thoughtfully. "I'm not trying to be difficult. I just need to be sure that I'm making the right decision."

"It's okay. I do understand. But I need you to understand something too. I meant every single word that I said to you in Glee club today. I screwed up. I did wrong. And right now would do anything to make that better. From this point on there is no more hiding you away missy. You were born to shine and shaped to be shown off. I won't freak you out by telling you just how crazy I am about you, but I want to thank you."

"Thank me?"

"For saying no to me. It's the best thing that you ever did and I respect you so much for that decision."

Mercedes frowned at him and put down her spoon. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I was a complete jerk to you. Instead of acknowledging your feelings I behaved selfishly. I knew that you cared about me and used it to my advantage. You made yourself vulnerable for me and got hurt. I refused to make myself vulnerable for you and I still got hurt. At first I was mad when you turned me down. I couldn't understand why you turned me down after I had offered what you'd just said you wanted. I was too stupid to see that you were the stronger one. You refused to sell yourself short. If you couldn't have all of me then you didn't want me at all. It took me a long time to understand that, but now that I do I respect you for it."

"You respect me?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yep. R-E-S-P-E-C-T!"

"Firstly, drop the Aretha, and secondly, what do you mean by that exactly?"

Sam leaned back in his seat and narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you trying to mock me?"

"Nope. I'm just trying to buy a little time while I my phone out and make a recording of what you just said! Hearing a man tell me he respects me. I think history has just been made!"

"Ha ha! You kill me!"

"So you were joking then?"

"Nope. I'm just trying very badly to let you know that you were right and I was wrong."

"Really?"

"Yes. Really."

"Well I didn't quite hear that. Can you say it again, but a little louder this time? Coz people in this joint need to hear this!"

Sam laughed and scooped up some of his cream onto his finger before flicking it at her face. It was a mistake for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, it landed on her cheek and he wanted nothing more at that moment than to lean forward and lick it right off her. Secondly, it triggered her to flick a piece of brownie at him.

Things very nearly came to a head as a food fight, but there was no way on earth that either of them were going to waste any more of their food.

"You know, one of the things I missed about you was the sound of your giggle."

Mercedes huffed and he shook his head. "No, seriously. It's one of my favorite sounds in the whole world."

"So say something to make me laugh."

Sam thought for a moment before putting on his best James Earl Jones impression. "I woke up one morning and decided to swallow the sun!"

He watched as she slowly shook her head. _She's fighting the laugh. But I see it. She's going to crack any second._

The crack came but it was more of an embarrassed smile as she rubbed the bridge of her nose while still shaking her head. "You try that one in front of my dad and see what happens to you!"

"I'm not afraid!" He whispered in the voice of the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz.

That broke her and she threw back her head to laugh.

"But that wasn't even a good impression!"

"Which made it even better!"

Sam chose to hide his confusion and laugh along with her. This time last week he would never have envisioned that they could be sitting together laughing like this.

Sam decided to push his luck. "So you'll give this another chance then."

She frowned. "This?"

"Us being friends. Having a laugh. I'm not going to pressure you into any more than that right now. There's other stuff I need to say to you but I'm not going to do it all at once. We have time now. For now we're just friends who eat icecream."

She thought about it for a second and then raised her tall sundae glass up like a toast. "To friends who eat icecream!"

"To friends who eat icecream!" Sam clinked his glass against hers and they both dissolved into laughter before silence fell between them again.

"So you said you have other stuff to tell me?"

"Yeah. But not today. Today's been pretty perfect and my big rambling mouth has a habit of screwing things up if left unchecked. Can we talk about something else for a bit?"

"Like what?"

"Tell me what you said to Berry when you gave her your verbal shootdown in front of Schuester for her Elvis comments…"

Time passed quickly as they laughed together like old days before Mercedes finally looked at her watch and regretfully reminded him that it was a school night.

"Yeah. I'm pretty stupid. I should have held out until tomorrow. Then we wouldn't have had to rush this."

"This wasn't rushed, it was perfect. Any longer and things might have had time to get weird again."

"I suppose so."

Mercedes accepted a ride home but refused to allow him to walk her to her door. Sad as it made him, he respected her boundaries and watched her make her way inside. Sam Evans was going to step up to the challenge and actually woo a girl!

* * *

><p>Sam was still on cloud nine as he walked into school the next morning. He had spent all night thinking about how the previous day had gone and the effect was a resounding sense of happiness. He didn't even feel regret for the tears he'd shed in Glee club. That place was a safe haven. During the last year, each and every one of them had dealt with one issue or another that had made them emotional in front of everybody. And the first rule of Glee club is that you do not talk about the tears in Glee club.<p>

"Hey Mercedes!"

"Hey Sam!" She was back shooting him that shy smile that he couldn't get enough of.

"So I was wondering if you were busy tomorrow night."

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because I wanted to invite you round to my house and cook for you."

"Cook for me?"

"Yeah. To thank you for teaching me last summer."

"I don't know Sam, just me and you in your house. I don't think it's a good idea."

"It won't be just us. Stacy and Stevie will be there too and they're still desperate to see you. It's been months since we all went out with Quinn."

The look of suspicion was still there. "So this isn't just a scheme to get me into your house."

He shot her a massive grin. "Of course it's a scheme to get you into my house. You haven't even seen where we live since we got back yet. But no, I don't have any plans that will make you uncomfortable." Sam nervously licked his bottom lip and hoped that she couldn't tell that his fingers were crossed behind his back as he lied through his teeth to her. He wanted to surprise her, but that involved his being slightly economical with the truth.

She sighed. "Okay. Just don't make me regret this! I have to go now but you can text me the address and time."

"Sure thing!"

He watched her walk away before heading in the opposite direction.

"Sam! Wait!" He turned round and smiled as Jordana trotted up to him. "So how did your little performace go?" She'd been more excited for him than he had been himself.

"As well as could be expected."

"What the fuck does that mean Sam?"

He grinned at her frustrated frown. "It went well Dana. We talked properly for the first time in ages. We went out for icecream and we're back to being friends again. Proper friends."

Totally forgetting herself she squealed and squeezed him into a tight hug before thinking it through and quickly pulling back. "Sorry. What I meant to say is that I'm really excited for you."

"Thanks. I definitely got that impression."

"And prom?" Her eyes looked hopeful and he felt bad disappointing her.

"She's going to let me know." He watched the sadness cross her face and took it upon himself to explain a little more. "It's not that I think she's going with someone else, she's still trying to work out how she feels about actually going with me."

She nodded. "It's okay. I understand. Have you seen Shane today?"

"Nope, not at all. But I'm sure he'll turn up somewhere. I swear that guy is always lurking."

"Yeah, maybe." It hurt Sam to see the dejected look on his new friend's face as the bell rang for first class. And as he watched her slumped shoulders head off around the corner, he came up with one final plan.

Yes he was done with planning and interfering, but this was one little piece of good that he could pay back to the universe for letting him have Mercedes back on side again.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Not to worry. Sam's plan for Jordana will not result in chaos. But the idea of him cooking might...<strong>_


	15. Was This Really Such A Good Idea?

It was the more complicated plans that had the habit of exploding in your face, so Sam went for something that was simplicity itself. He took a minor detour via a different set of lockers and very nearly made himself late for class.

"What the hell do you think you're playing at Evans!"

It wasn't like Sam to willingly hang around Shane's locker, but he had to be totally sure of something. He had watched as the yellow sticky note fluttered to the floor, almost unnoticed by the linebacker who was pulling out his books, but luckily the movement had clearly caught the corner of his eye and the large guy bent over to pick it up, reading the words with a puzzled frown. It was then that he had caught sight of Sam and said the words that had filled him with horror as he realized he had failed to try and disguise his handwriting on the hastily scrawled note.

He was shaken out of his daze by the fact that Shane was still talking. "I heard that you were at Sullivan's Icecream Parlour with Mercedes last night! What part of the words _back off _do you not understand?"

Sam straightened his spine and met the taller boy's stare. _This was always going to happen. He might as well get it over and done with!_

"I'm not going to back off Shane." The words came out with far more confidence than he was currently feeling.

The linebacker leaned towards him angrily and menacingly. "Now listen-"

"No _you_ listen!" Sam didn't know where he was getting his sudden courage from but he knew where this was heading and for once in his life was totally unafraid of following through. "I heard what you said before about leaving Mercedes alone and I did. But then I thought more about your words and realized that you qualified it. It wasn't a blanket 'leave her alone'. You said that if I couldn't love her then I needed to leave her alone. Well it took me a long time to figure it out, but I can love her, I _do_ love her and I have no intention of ever leaving her alone until I can prove to her how I truly feel. Then once that happens, she, and only she, will be the one to have the right to tell me to leave her alone. And if that's the way that she truly feels then I will respect that and leave her alone forever. But if she wants to try and make us work again, then I will be the happiest guy alive and will spend the rest of my days trying to make her the happiest girl alive!"

Sam took a step back, shocked at his own admission but not regretting a single word. He stared at Shane who still looked as though he was about to hit him, but he was also blinking his eyes rapidly as his mouth revealed that he was lost for words.

Feeling a sense of bravery that he hoped was not misplaced, Sam continued on with his speech. "I know you have every right to hate me, I stole your girl, got her to cheat, ruined your relationship and insulted you by stirring things up, but you need to know that I'm a different person now. I'm sorry for what I did before and I'm sorry for the way I treated you. I don't expect you to forgive me, I don't know if I would be able to forgive me if I was in your position, but I know that I at least need to man up and face you, admit that I was wrong and attempt to put things right. What I did to you wasn't personal, you were collateral damage. The way I was back then, I would have gone out of my way to hurt anyone who was with Mercedes because I believed the only person who should be with her is me. My motives were wrong as were my actions and I'm totally ashamed of them now. What I did hurt her, hurt you and hurt me and I will always regret that. But there are some things that haven't changed. I _still_ feel that I'm the only one she should be with and the fact that she came back to me meant she had strong feelings too, but it should never have been to the detriment of others. You've been a good friend to her and I respect how she feels about you but I truly believe that she and I have a deeper connection. If I'm the one for her then it's her choice. I chose her a long time ago but she has to choose me back. It was wrong of me to try and force her hand like that and she was mature enough to put me in my place. All I'm doing now is letting her see me as a changed person and give her the opportunity to make her choice again. So yeah, this is me apologizing for all the shit that I did to you and if you still feel the need to take a swing at me right now, then that's fair enough because I more than deserve it. But it's also me telling you that I do love her, I always will love her and I will do my best to let her know that and make her choice before the school year is out."

Sam finally stopped speaking. His lungs were burning and he felt like he had no air left in his lungs. Somewhere along the line his word vomit, while still being word vomit, was starting to become slightly more articulate. What he had just done still scared the living shit out of him though!

Shane was still glaring at him and he tried to hold his stare but it was so hard with that damn moustache being such a distraction in the middle of his face. They stood for a moment, silently face to face, each holding their ground until a hand with long slim fingers touched Shane's arm and made his jump in surprise.

"I'm so sorry! Is this a bad time? I didn't mean to interrupt!" Both boys turned to stare at Jordana who had appeared out of nowhere. She nervously removed her hand from Shane and started to blush. "Um, we can go away again if you guys are busy…"

_We? _It was only at that point that Sam noticed that she was with Mercedes. Shane looked at both girls with surprise on his face. Sam only had eyes for Mercedes who was staring back at him with eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Shane's face broke into an involuntary smile as he collected himself and appraised the outfit that Jordana was wearing before his eyes suddenly widened as they settled on the yellow sticky note that she was clutching in her hand. She subconsciously played with it in her fingers as she smiled back at him. "I just came to say _yes I'd love to._"

"Yes?" He was frowning again and Jordana suddenly looked scared. She held up the paper with the words '_will you go to prom with me? S'. "_This is from you right?"

Sam's heart began to beat out of his chest as he started to see his beautiful plan crumble before his eyes before an angel stepped in to save the day. Mercedes pulled at Shane's hand which was still clutching the matching sticky note which he had picked up seconds before his conversation with Sam. Her eyes skimmed over the words '_will you go to prom with me? J' _and she bit her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing as it dawned on her what was really going on. "Shane! That's really great! I wondered when you were finally going to work up the courage to ask her!"

His frown deepened. "I was, but-"

Luckily Sam was the only one who saw the swift elbow below the ribs that Mercedes gave the large football player. And to his credit, Shane managed to totally hide the fact that the blow had left him slightly winded from Jordana. Finally the penny seemed to drop. "So you'll come to prom with me?" he asked hesitantly.

She smiled brightly at him and nodded. "I'm really glad you asked."

"So am I." Even Sam had to smile at the double meaning of those final words.

"Look, this is cute and all, but we all have study hall in five minutes so let's walk together." Mercedes had returned to her usual efficient self. Shane and Jordana walked ahead while Mercedes dropped back to talk to Sam. She shook her head slowly at him. "Very very _not slick_ Evans!"

He made innocent wide eyes. "_What_? What did I do?"

This time he was the recipient of the sharp elbow. "I'd know that chicken scratch handwriting of yours anywhere you fool! What possessed you to interfere like that?"

"Those two have been looking at each other like love sick puppies since she arrived. I had to do something. The universe has started being good to me and I had to give something back."

She chuckled. "The universe is being good to you huh?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I like to think so."

* * *

><p>Mercedes had spent ages trying to work out what to wear. It was just dinner with Sam and the kids so it's not like she needed to dress up. And, well, it was Sam. So, yeah, it's not like she needed to dress up. It's not like it was a date or anything. Because that's not she wanted. Was it?<p>

She sighed, not knowing what to think. She would be lying if she said that she still wasn't totally attracted to Sam. Yes she had let go of some of the resentment she had held on to for a long while and was more comfortable in her own skin than she had been for a really long time. But she still struggled with believing that all this was for real. She had let herself down so badly before. Sam was always one to get what he wanted and if this was another of his elaborate games then it would break her for good and there was no way that she would ever be able to recover from it again. That boy was a bad influence on her and she hated what he had made her become. What she has _allowed _him to make her become. Because he hadn't forced her. She was a willing participant. And she felt so ashamed for it.

She really wanted to believe that he had changed, she really did, but he was always so damn difficult to read. Whenever she thought he was letting her in he would put up his guard and act out. Why couldn't he see that she was in love with goofy Sam not arrogant Sam? And now he had gone in front of everyone and apologized for his behavior. He had said that she was the best thing in his life. And that song, had he literally meant that he was falling in love with her? Last summer he had found it impossible to vocalize his feelings, which is why she didn't believe that they existed. She wanted so hard to believe that it was true, but after being around and speaking to other girls that he had bedded, she was finding it hard to believe that he did the whole love thing. Yes he gave Quinn a promise ring, but that was still a ploy to get into her panties and it failed. It's just that in Quinn's case, she got round to the cheating first.

And then there was the question of prom. She wanted to go to prom with Sam so badly that it hurt. But if things didn't work out, it would be a dark memory forevermore. She didn't want to have to look back at her prom photos and feel hurt and humiliated. There was only ever going to be one senior prom and it needed to be special _with_ someone special. Would the brief excitement of going with Sam be followed by a lifetime of regret for a bad decision? She didn't want to have to live with that. And she still didn't know what answer to give.

She sighed and switched off her curling iron. A ponytail would be sufficient for today. She would save the hard work for an event that meant something more. Besides, her parents had were going out and had needed to borrow her car while theirs was being repaired to they were going to drop her off where she needed to be. And if she was all dressed up it would throw suspicion on this little dinner with the kids that she used to babysit for.

The directions that Sam had given were clear and they pulled up to a small compact but smart house far sooner than she expected. She had told them that it was fine and waved goodbye as she walked through the gates, but in reality she knew that being thirty minutes early was unacceptable. She didn't want to look too eager. Sam said he was cooking and by this point he probably hadn't even taken the mac and cheese out of the freezer yet. Besides, she didn't want to look too eager.

But after less ten minutes of halfheartedly walking round the block she again made her way to the door. She could always play with the kids while she waited. It's just that the longer she left it, the stronger the temptation was to use the map app on her phone to head straight back home to hide in bed. Besides, the carton of rocky road icecream was not going to survive much longer outside of an icebox even though it was already in a cool bag.

She eventually pressed the bell and waited, smoothing her hands on her black skinny jeans and wishing she had chosen a slightly longer top to wear. The door was opened by a blond woman who looked down at her in surprise.

"Hi there!"

Mercedes looked up at the woman who was clearly not expecting her. _Why the hell did she have to be so early? Sam had probably planned this for after they had gone out!_

"Urm, hi! I've come to see Sam."

The older woman frowned. "Sam? He's a bit tied up right now but-" A look of realization suddenly dawned on her face and she broke out into a smile. "Oh look at me, I'm being rude. I'm so sorry! Come in! You're joining us for dinner aren't you!"

_Joining us? Wait, was she going to be here for the dinner?_

"I'm Mary by the way. What's yours?"

"I'm Mercedes. Mercedes Jones."

The older woman's eyes narrowed slightly as if the name was familiar then suddenly her face brightened even more. "Of course. Stevie and Stacy constantly talk about you. Thank you so much for helping to babysit them last summer. I never got the chance to thank you in person before we left."

"It was no problem. They're lovely kids. And I can see where they inherited their smile from. Shall I take off my shoes?"

"Oh yes please, you can leave them here." She pointed to a small rack where Mercedes left her boots next to what appeared to be Sam's Converse sneakers. She turned again to the woman who was still smiling widely at her and held out the bag with the carton of Rocky Road. "I brought some…"

"Oh of course! I'll take you through to the kitchen, Sam's in there and he's refusing to let me in to help. He's been making all sorts of noises and cursing so much that I've had to send the kids upstairs. Maybe he'll let you help. I'm starting to worry that we're going to end up with a visit from the fire department!"

Before Mercedes had a chance to reply a tall man with graying blond hair started making his way down the stairs. "Who was at the door honey?... Oh, hi!"

"Dwight this is Mercedes, Mercedes this is my husband Dwight."

He reached her in a couple of strides and offered his hand. "Pleased to meet you!"

"Likewise." She smiled her brightest smile but didn't miss the wide eyed questionning look that he sent his wife or the shrug that she sent him in return. Sam was going to have a hell of a lot of explaining to do! She broke the stare of the older couple by clearing her throat. "I guess I should go and see what kind of help Sam needs."

"Oh yes!" Mary suddenly came to her senses. I was just about to show you through…" She led him down the small hall to the kitchen which smelled of very hot oil. Mary opened the door and indicated Mercedes to go in. "I would go with you but Sam shouted the last time I tried so I'm afraid you might have your work cut out for you!"

She stepped aside and let Mercedes take a walk into hell.

* * *

><p><em><strong>What the hell is Sam playing at with his dinner? A serious lack of communication has taken place! And what will Sam's parents think of Mercedes?<strong>_

_**Hmmm... This chapter sort of took on a life of it's own. It was never supposed to have Mercedes' POV or end at this point (just when it was starting to get good - yeah i'm sorry). But it did and now i'm off to bed so I'll leave it where it is so that I can do justice to the rest of their evening in the next chapter. I promise you'll like it.**_

_**Oh and yes I also felt the need for Sam to have to apologise to Shane as part of his growth.**_


	16. Making A Meal Of It

**_I had to go back to the previous chapter and change something. Mercedes was now dropped off at Sam's house by her parents on their way to their date night. She had to be, otherwise Sam would not be able to take her home. Damn everybody always having cars! Such a simple thing but it really screws with the plot! _**

* * *

><p>It was a mess.<p>

Everything was a mess.

Scratch that, everything was total chaos!

There were dishes scattered everywhere and a fine dusting of flour on every surface.

Sam was frustrated beyond belief. This had all seemed so easy and simple when he and Mercedes had cooked together last summer. Why was it all going so wrong now? As he headed over to the pan of hot oil he quickly surveyed his first batch of only fractionally cremated chicken. It had taken far less time to cook than he had imagined it would but for a first attempt he felt it was pretty impressive.

Looking at the time and realizing that he needed to rush because Mercedes would be here really soon he began to get slack. He loaded the metal basket with a second batch of chicken and quickly lowered it into the pan of oil which had been sitting, steadily getting hotter and hotter while he had distractedly added a little more seasoning to the flour on the plate that he had been using to coat the meat.

There was an instant loud roar as the meat touched the hot fat and it bubbled up everywhere, splashing the stove top and his forearm.

"Aaaargh! _Fuck it!_"

"What the hell Sam!"

Suddenly he felt himself being pulled back and the hot pan was pushed off the lit stove. Next thing he knew he had been pulled to the the sink and there was cold water running down his arm.

"Did the oil splash anywhere else?" It was Mercedes. He had no idea where on earth she had appeared from but she looked cross as hell.

"Er, I don't think so…" He wiped at his face again. He thought a few flecks had hit him there but he couldn't be too sure.

"Let me look."

"It's okay…"

She glared at him. "Hot fat can burn badly. Just let me check. And for god's sake keep your arm under the water!"

He hadn't realized that his arm had moved and her tone made him put it straight back under the soothing water.

She reached up onto her tiptoes and brushed his hair back with her hand, searching his face intently for any sign of splashed oil. Her gaze softened slightly as she gazed at his features and her eyes lingered ever so slightly on his lips and wiped a smudge of flour off his chin with her thumb. He closed his eyes at the feel of her touch and inhaled her unique scent that filled his nostrils she moved into his personal space. Damn he missed her!

"You're fine." As quickly as she had reached up to him she had backed away from him and now transferred her attention to the reddening splash mark on his arm which thankfully wasn't too big.

"What were you thinking Sam?"

He frowned. "I was trying to impress you."

"I wouldn't be impressed with crispy fried Sam and a burned down kitchen."

He hung his head. "I guess not."

She suddenly remembered the pan that she had taken off the heat. The roar had become a healthy sizzle and she lifted out the basket of golden chicken and placed it on to the waiting plate of paper towels.

He watched her in silence for a moment before asking "How did you get in?"

"Your mom. She seems really nice!"

_Oh shit!_ He was supposed to let her in! The scowl had returned to her face. "You clearly didn't think it was important enough to let me know that they would be here, or to even let them know who I was!"

"I did tell them that I had a friend coming…"

"A _friend. _Oh well that's okay then!" She rolled her eyes sarcastically.

He turned to face her fully. "I didn't mean it like that-"

"_Keep your arm under the water!"_

Chastened, he did as he was told. "I wanted…" _Be honest with her Sam! _"I wanted you to meet my parents. But I didn't want to scare you by making you think that I was pressuring you into something. I was supposed to be finished by now so that I could let you in and introduce you without it being weird."

"They're your parents Sam. It would always be weird."

"Yeah I guess, but, I just wanted you to see me. All of me. I don't normally bring friends from school back home. And after everything that happened and my parents working so much we try to make sure that we eat at least one meal together as a family and just spend time with each other. I thought it would be cool if you joined in too. It's fun, I promise. The kids miss you and mine are not the kind of parents to grill you or anything."

"I'm not sure about this Sam…"

"No, really, I guess I'm just crap at all this. And I don't explain myself well. I'm sorry I wasn't upfront with you. I just wanted us to have a nice relaxed evening. I know the kids love you and, well, I sort of wanted to show you off to my parents. They don't know anything about us so you don't need to worry. As far as they're concerned you're just here to surprise the kids and join in the games. And, well, I just wanted to try and impress you with my cooking skills. I haven't cooked a thing since we were together last summer and I wanted to show you that I did pay attention and I'm more than just a pretty face."

Despite herself, Mercedes smiled. The boy was trying, she had to give him that. And the worst part was that she wasn't nearly as mad as she thought she would be. "You still should have told me."

"I guess so." He hung his head in shame. "I guess I couldn't run the risk of you getting scared off and not coming. I'm just no good at this kind of thing. Every time I try anything it just gets screwed up and I end up constantly trying to apologize."

She nodded. "Tru dat!"

"So am I forgiven for the minor oversight of not mentioning meeting my parents?"

She pretended to think about it. "Hmmm... I don't know. Meeting the parents is such a major thing. For a start I needed to prepare and I definitely would have dressed up more."

Sam appraised her appearance, casting a lingering look over her body before declaring that she looked fine as she was and noticing the way that she flushed slightly. He then decided to change tactic, giving her a wide innocent stare. "What about the puppydog eyes? Do they help my cause?"

Mercedes descended into giggles and shook her head in frustration. "Sam, you're a mess!" And he was. There was flour in his hair. She has wiped it from his face but it was still all over his teeshirt, jeans and feet. She surveyed to kitchen and took in the complete picture of chaos. He seemed to have taken out every single pot and pan and even the ones that he hadn't used were covered in a thin film of white dust. There were potatoes half peeled, lying on the side along with a bunch of salad ingredients in various states of preparedness. She couldn't be angry with him when he was in such a state of abject panic and distress. The boy really was trying, he was just failing badly. She let out an amuzed sigh. "What exactly are you trying to make?"

"I was trying to do some of your awesome fried chicken that we used to do together with jacket potatoes and salad. I just don't remember it being this hard!"

"And you're doing it all from memory?"

"Yeah. I didn't think it would be that hard."

"It's only as hard as you make it Sam, and you've made a real meal out of this!"

"I think I got a bit lost somewhere in the middle. Will you help me? I told my mom that I could do this without her help and I was wrong."

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "I guess I could find it in my heart to rescue you this one time…"

Sam literally fell to his knees and grasped her legs in gratitude. "Thankyou thankyou thankyou!"

She pushed him off with a smile "Move you fool!"

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for Mercedes to rein the kitchen into some kind of control. The first thing she did was get him to switch on the oven for the chicken. She took a knife to the chicken he had 'cooked' and showed him that it was still raw near the bone. "The you had the oil too hot for frying the chicken so the outside cooked too fast while the inside didn't get hot enough. We'll get sick if we eat these so we'll put them in the oven to finish cooking properly."<p>

With the first batches of chicken safely cooking in the oven and the remaining raw meat frying at the correct temperature she turned her attention to the potatoes. "If you were going to do them as jackets you should have started cooking them an hour ago and wrapped them in foil. As it is you've peeled half of them so I suggest we just cut them into wedges so that they can cook faster. Then we can put them in the oven along with the chicken." She showed him how to cut them into wedge shapes and then put them in a tray with a drizzle of olive oil which they turned the potatoes in to coat them before seasoning and putting to cook.

"Right, next stop, cleaning! Then we can finish with the salad."

Sam looked around in dismay as he took in the sight of the kitchen, but had to agree that his mom would go crazy if she actually saw the state of it. "Okay, for speed and completeness, I will do the surfaces, but I want you to take every single pot and item that you've used and wash them up. All the ones that you didn't use but still have flour on can just be rinsed under running water til they're clean."

They worked together efficiently and before long conversation was flowing naturally just like it used to. There were even a few laughs. Before they knew it the kitchen was looking clean, the remaining chicken was perfectly fried and Mercedes had got him to check on the chicken and wedges in the oven, turning them over to ensure everything was evenly cooked.

"How's your arm?"

Sam had totally forgotten about it as they worked together, but there were still two definite red patches remaining. "Do you have any burn cream?"

"In the first aid kit in the bathroom."

"Okay. Why don't you go and put some on and change into some clean clothes. Once you've done that you can tell your family that dinner will be ready in ten minutes. I'll clean the floor while you're gone then we'll do the salad together when you get back."

Sam followed her instructions without delay. There was something sexy about the way that she had come into the kitchen and totally taken control of the situation. He ran up to use the cream and change into clean jeans and a Wolverine teeshirt. All of a sudden his heart was beating wildly. He was excited for this evening and hoped everyone would relax and have a good time.

There was a quiet tap on the door and after he replied his mom's head popped through the gap which she had slightly opened. "Just wanted to check, is everything okay? The kids are getting hungry and dad says he's happy to totally overlook this and get pizza for everyone."

Sam smiled and shook his head at their apparent lack of faith. "It's all under control. Mercedes says dinner will be ready in ten minutes. I was just getting changed into some clothes that don't smell of cooking."

"That's fair enough." She came completely inside the room and sat on the corner of his bed. "So why didn't you tell us about your friend coming?"

"I did!"

"You didn't say it was a girl!"

He smiled shyly and fidgeted with a thread on his top. "I knew that you and dad would start asking questions that I can't answer right now. I just wanted you to meet her and get to know her as a person. No pressure, no trying to make impressions."

"Well I have to say it looks like you're going all out to try and make an impression."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You've clearly been putting a lot of effort into what you're doing. But a word of advice, it looked as if she had no idea that we were going to be here either and I hope we didn't accidentally give the wrong first impression."

Sam frowned. "Why? What did you say?"

"Oh nothing. It's just that she could tell that we were just as surprised as she was about this little arrangement of yours. Sometimes it's best to communicate your plans to others. You can't expect and assume that everyone will think the same way that you do, or will read a situation the same way as you."

"Yes. I understand that now."

"That's good." Mary stood and smiled at her son. "You look good."

"Thanks."

She crossed the threshold to leave his room before turning one last time with a smile. "And Mercedes is a very pretty girl."

_Yeah, I think so too _he muttered under his breath.

* * *

><p>It didn't take them long to make and dress the salad and suddenly it was time to serve up.<p>

"Mercedes. Are you ready to be properly introduced to my parents now?"

She shook her head, suddenly looking nervous. "Not really. But I guess I can't stay hiding in this kitchen forever!"

"Come on. It'll be fine!" He unthinkingly wiped his slightly sweating hand on his jeans before offering it to her and it was only when she took it that it occured to him that they were actually holding hands.

He led her into the lounge where his hungry family were waiting.

"Mercedes!" Stacy and Stevie leaped at her and she smothered them with embraces and kisses and smiles as their parents looked on in amusement. At that moment, Sam looked more nervous than his parents. "Hey. So this is Mercedes. She taught me how to cook and rescued our meal this evening for which I am truly grateful. I'm really sorry that I didn't get to open the door and introduce her properly. But she's already chewed my ear off about it so you don't have to."

"Hi again Mercedes."

Dwight stepped forward. "Sorry again for ealier. I was a little thrown by your arrival but you're always welcome in our home. According to the kids you're the stuff of legends. And I guess _all _my kids feel that way." He shot a quick look at Sam who's face immediately reddened.

"Urm, you guys just chat for a second while I bring the food out to the table." He felt bad leaving Mercedes like that but he was blushing so badly he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable or pressured.

As he brought the dishes out, Sam watched as she sat on the couch with the kids who were busy fighting for her attention. He smiled at the sight of them then looked up to notice his father watching them too. The older man moved closer to him and asked "So what is it that you're not telling me?"

Sam shrugged. "There's nothing to tell."

"Well from where I'm standing you're definitely wishing that there was something."

He looked down at his feet. "Well, that's not really up to me."

"But you've asked her out?"

Sam moved further away from the others and pretended to adjust the cutlery on the table and his dad followed suit. "It's not that straight forward."

"But you like her?" Sam said nothing and continued to fidget. "Because the only girl you've ever invited back was that Quinn who only popped in for a couple of minutes. I've never seen you go to so much trouble for anyone."

"She's not just anyone." He muttered, turning back to the kitchen to get serving spoons and his dad continued to follow.

"So what's the holdup?"

Sam forced a smile. "I'm still working on that good old Evans charm. It doesn't come as naturally to me as it does to you."

Dwight pulled open the drawer and handed three large spoons to his son. "The Evans charm is flawless! I had your mother falling at my feet within days!"

"Mercedes has class, she's making me put the work in."

"And that makes you appreciate the prize so much better when you finally get it."

"I know. But, like I said it's complicated. I have to take this one really slowly."

"Well as long as you know what you're doing son I wish you all the best. That there is a whole woman. Your grandpa would have been proud. Big eyes and big curves. When I saw Quinn I thought you were like me, breaking with tradition, but maybe you're more of a chip off the old block than any of us realized."

Sam thought hard about the women that the men in his family had married and saw the truth in his words. They had all gone for short curvaceous women. And his second cousin Lenny in Pittsburgh was married to a black woman with three children. Sure there were other distant relatives who had their own opinions about that but Sam thought they were the cutest kids in the world after his own siblings.

"So you like her?"

Dwight winked and leaned forward to whisper in Sam's ear. "Don't tell your mother but I think she's hot!"

"Eeew! Dad!"

* * *

><p>Dinner was a roaring success, thanks to Mercedes the food tasted great but she wouldn't take all the credit for herself. "Sam seasoned the chicken before I got here and it was all his own recipe."<p>

He grinned. "In other words, it was whatever I could find in the cupboards."

"And I made him to the majority of the rest of the work too. I only assisted."

Mary smiled at her warmly. "Well thankyou. Now that I know my son has these extra skills, I'll definitely be making sure he puts them to good use more often!"

She laughed at Sam's groan response and Dwight looked pointedly at his son when he agreed "You guys definitely make a good team."

"And I can't believe how clean you've left the kitchen!" continued Mary.

This time both sets of eyes avoided hers and she knew not to push that one any further.

While they ate their iceream, Stevie and Stacy told Mercedes about their life in Kentucky and some of the projects that they were currently doing in school.

"Are you going to stay and play games with us?" asked Stevie at the end of the meal. "We always play games after a family meal."

Stacy nodded her head so hard Mercedes thought her head might actually come off! "Yeah and if you stay we'll be an even number so we can play girls against boys!"

She looked at them hesitantly before feeling Sam's hand on top of hers under the table and she turned to meet his eyes. "Please stay! You can't go just yet. It's far too early."

"But I don't have my car. My parents took it to-"

"Then I'll give you a lift back. It's no problem at all!"

Mercedes missed the triumphant nudge that his mom gave to his dad but he didn't and he felt the blush returning so he removed his hand from hers and started to collect the dishes.

"So what game shall we play?"

"_Pictionary!"_

Apparently the love of drawing ran through the entire Evans family and they played several lively rounds of the game with surprisingly good drawings, even from the little ones. In addition to drawing there were also impressions and charades in order to help the kids get the answers. The boys team eventually won but not without more than a little good natured cheating.

Sam took a moment to sit back and watch the dynamic as it played around him and for the first time since his grandfather's death felt a feeling of true contentment. This little room contained all the people that were most important in his life and they were getting along happily together. Mercedes was chatting and laughing with his parents like she'd known them for years. And the kids, well, just like him they'd been in love with her since last year. This was what he wanted. This was what he needed. Mercedes was just as much a part of his family as the others and he prayed that it would always be that way.

All he had to do was not screw this up.

Soon it was time for the kids to go to bed. They protested that they wanted to stay with Mercedes, but it was obvious that they were tired, especially Stacy and Mary put the kettle on before taking them upstairs.

"Maybe I should get going too" said Mercedes, looking at her watch, suddenly nervous all over again without the younger kids as a safety barrier between her and the adults.

Sam looked sad. "You don't have to. Mom just put the kettle on. We can have coffee and a couple of games of…" he rummaged through their pile of games "… of Uno, then I'll take you back."

She bit her lip before hesitantly agreeing. "I guess I could do with some coffee right now."

"Come on, let's go and make it while mom's upstairs!"

* * *

><p>Conversation was still easy as they laughed and played cards. Dwight and Mary spoke about their high school experiences when they were young and their prom. Mary smiled at Mercedes. "Have you got your dress for prom yet? You must be super excited."<p>

She looked down and played with her hand of cards. "Yeah I have my dress. I'm looking forward to wearing it."

Mary failed to take the hint from the vague answer and continued with the line of questionning. "I'm sure you'll look like a princess. Sam must be thrilled to have you as a date for prom after going on his own last year."

Sam's face suddenly became as pale as a sheet and his dad frowned sensing that something was up. Even Mary started to falter. "You're here so I'm assuming that Sam had asked you…"

"Oh he did…" She locked eyes with Sam and smiled. "And yes I am going with him."

Sam could have kissed her right there and then but an internal fist pump had be sufficient instead. Finally he had his answer and it was the one he had been hoping for from the moment that he has asked the question. _Mercedes was going to go to prom with him!_ She smiled shyly and looked down at her hands and his parents started to wonder what the hell was actually going on with those two.

Before long it was time for Mercedes to go for real this time. After warm hugs from both his parents they headed off on the short drive back to her home.

Sam turned to look at her as he drove. "So did you have a good time?"

"I had a wonderful time. Thankyou so much."

"It was my pleasure. And… and I hope my parents didn't pressure you into saying what you did about prom. Coz you know, if you need more time to decide or anything…"

"No. It's fine. I already decided during the evening that it was what I wanted."

Sam nodded to himself silently. "What was it that made you decide?"

"Seeing you. And seeing you being you. You know you're very different at home than you are at school. I like the at home Sam. He seems like someone I could really get along with."

"I'm glad." Sam's expression stayed serious as they pulled up to her home. The house was in total darkness and her car was not in the drive. He undid his seatbelt. "There's nobody home so I'm walking you to the door and I'm not taking no for an answer."

Frustratingly, she had opened her door before he could get to it, but she allowed him to hold it open for her as she got out and walked with him to her door.

The urge to kiss her right there and then in the moonlight was almost too much to resist but he managed to find some self-restraint from somewhere and left her with no more than a brief 'see you Monday' and a lingering stare.

Watching her shut that door was the hardest thing in the world. Old Sam would have pushed the door opened and kissed her senseless but this was the new Sam and he was better than that. He walked back to his car feeling highly frustrated and leaned his head against his driver's door to take a few deep breaths.

_Fuck it!_

Before he had even thought through what he was doing he was back at her door, knocking it repeatedly.

He heard the locks slide back and there she was, staring back at him with a confused expression on her face. "What's wrong Sam?"

"Er… there's two things that I forgot just now."

She frowned. "Okay…"

"The first is…" his hands had been in his back pockets to keep them out of mischief but now they were out and had a mind of their own. His right hand gently cupped her cheek. "The first is that I forgot to kiss you goodnight." Before she had a chance to react his lips were on hers. What had started with the intention of being a soft innocent peck on the cheek quickly became something much more. He had no idea how he managed to totally miss her cheek and end up with her lips, but the one thing he did know was in that second it felt like perfection itself.

Suddenly his lips were no longer hesitant and hers were no longer surpised. It was still closed lipped and innocent but the small moan that escaped her quickly changed things. One hand slid round her waist and pulled her closer while the other went to the back of her head to do the same. Both hers were already making their home in his hair and on the nape of his neck. Who nipped whose bottom lip first he didn't know and he didn't care. All he knew was that he was hungry. And the tiny taste of her lips that he was getting was doing nothing to satisfy his hunger. He focused all his attention on her plump bottom lip, sucking it before gently pulling at it with his teeth causing her to moan again. He took advantage of the moan by letting his tongue slip through her partially opened mouth to meet hers. He wanted to taste her, to eat her, to consume her and make her his forever. Instead he had to settle for this intense kiss.

Somehow they had travelled and she was now backed against the wall, the kiss unbroken, getting more and more intense and desperate by the second as they rapidly ran out of air. It was a bruising all consuming kiss which caused them both to moan and allow their hands to wander more than they should have.

Feeling his lungs about to explode Sam finally pulled back, gradually disconnecting all of his body from hers until they were attached only at the lips, neither of them wanting to be the first to let go.

_Back off Sam!_

He had a war going on inside him.

_STEP AWAY!_

With a groan of distress he finally pulled his lips from hers and they both stood, staring at each other, a million thoughts running through their heads while they stood panting and gasping for breath. Her eyes were wide and he felt guilty. Hadn't meant for that to happen. Not yet anyway.

Somehow she had stepped forward and this time she was kissing him. Not quite as breathlessly as before, but still filled with passion. _If he didn't leave right now there would be trouble!_

"What was the second thing?" He was so lost in the feel of her lips being removed from his that he almost missed the question.

_GET OUT NOW!_

"I'm sorry!" He quickly turned on his heel and sped through the door, slamming it behind him, before kneeling and peeking through the letterbox.

"Mercedes?"

He could see that she was still there, standing in the hallway with her eyes glazed in a state of shock. "Mercedes? Come here a second. I'm sorry but I had to put some space between us otherwise I would have ended up doing something that we both regret." He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. "You tend to do that to me."

She looked on a him with an expression of annoyance which soon became understanding and she stepped closer to the door before kneeling on the other side safely out of reach.

"I'm sorry I kissed you like that Mercedes. It was only supposed to be a little peck. I know I have this tendency to always want to jump your bones, but this time, to prove I'm serious, I'm working on my self restraint. I plan to woo you properly this time, Mercedes Jones, not seduce you. From now on I intend to keep my hands to myself." She nodded slowly and thoughtfully before repeating her question. "What was the second thing?"

_The second thing?_ He was still so distracted at seeing her kiss swollen lips that he initially forgot what he was about to say. And then it came back to him. "Breadsticks. Tomorrow. 6pm. A proper date. What do you say?"

The pause that followed was the longest in the world despite the fact that her eyes never left his.

"Sure. I'll see you at 6."

He wanted to kiss her so badly it hurt but all he could do was let out a small moan and touch the wooden door with the palm of his hand the way a prisoner palms the glass screen in jail. He knew it was for his own good but it was frustrating as hell.

After one final lingering look he started to get up. "I have to go. I have to- your parents will- _shit! _Goodnight Mercedes."

"Goodnight Sam."

They stayed smiling at each other for a moment longer before he finally closed the letterbox and walked uncomfortably back to his car. With an ironic chuckle he remembered how he had faced this exact same predicament after he had kissed her for the very first time last summer. However, tonight, the last thing he needed was to be caught rubbing one out in his car while parked on her parent's driveway. He couldn't head straight home because he knew his parents would be there waiting to give him the third degree.

Instead, he drove a couple of streets away to a dark corner where he finally released the beast and succumed to a combination of saliva, his hand and a particularly vivid fantasy of Mercedes with her legs spread wide on his kitchen counter...

* * *

><p><strong><em>So I was feeling pretty good about this chapter until my friend read over it and said that American houses don't have letterboxes, they have outdoor mailboxes. At first I was all 'well shit!' and then I thought, 'this is fanfiction and if I say her front door has a flap through which Sam can easily speak to her then it will!' I've never been to America so I'm basing this all on things I've seen in TV and films anyway. Plus I'm too lazy to rewrite a scene that's been in my head for weeks! Lol!<em>**

**_Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the Samcedes progress and you're not too mad at Sam for trying to show some restraint._**


	17. First Date

**_OMG! You are all so amazing! Thanks for the reviews and the info on letterboxes (mailslots just sounds rude in my head but I do tend to have a dirty mind!) I showed my friend the comments and she had to concede that she was wrong. She has family in Michigan and wherever they are they have those mailboxes on stalks like in the films. Plus we'd been watching Big Bang Theory together so assumed that flats/apartments don't have them either. We live and learn…_**

**_Anyway, I'm so glad that you're enjoying this story and I'm sad that it's nearly finished but I already have an idea for a new fic that I'm looking forward to writing. But anyway, on to the date!_**

* * *

><p>Sam was far too early but he didn't care. He was haunted by the memory of a kiss. <em>That kiss. <em>It had been mindblowing and very nearly lost him his self control and sanity. The only thing better than the feeling of that kiss was the memory of the fact that _she had kissed him back! _Of her own free will and initiative. Mercedes Jones clearly felt the fire that was still burning between them and had acted on it. He had spent a sleepless night wondering what would have happened if he had not put the door between them. If he had allowed their carnal instincts to take over. Would they have made it to the bedroom? Would they have ended up on the couch which they had damn near broken on more than one occasion. Or would they have stayed exactly where they were, doing it against the wall?

His wrist had grown tired as he worked his way through each of those scenarios, but before he managed to completely rub himself raw, he reminded himself that she deserved far more than a quickie against the wall. And there were still conversations that need to be had before he would allow them to become intimate again.

It had been too hard being a home. Once his parents had found out where he was going in the evening they had not given him a single moment's peace. He had thought that it would not be possible to top his excitement over this date but he was wrong. His parents seemed to be gunning for him even harder than he was! He thought back to the conversation that they were waiting to have with him as soon as he had got back from dropping off Mercedes:

_The worst thing about walking back through the front door was seeing his parents sitting hand in hand on the couch, smiling at him. Their smiles were far too wide for his liking. "So, did we give a good impression?" _

_Sam groaned. "I need to go to bed dad!" _

_Dwight pretended not to hear. "But she seems like a really lovely girl. And I can tell that you're into her."_

_"And she's very pretty" his mom added. _

_"So I think we need to have a chat, you and me." _

_Sam paled. He really hoped this chat wasn't going to be what he thought it was. Because that was already a couple of years too late! "Does it have to be tonight?" _

_"No. But I guess now is as good a time as any! After all, it's not actually that late…" Mary leaned towards her husband and gave him a peck on the cheek as she quickly stood and made her crafty exit while pointing him to sit at the smaller two-seater opposite his father. Yet again, Sam reflected on just how perfect his parents were for each other, only this time it most definitely was not in his favor. Knowing it was in his best interests to get this over and done with he lowered himself heavily into the seat._

_And now suddenly he was left alone with his dad, and to call the atmosphere awkward would be stating the blindingly obvious._

_"Look Sam, I'm not blind and I'm not stupid. All the mechanical stuff... well thankfully you would have learned at school already. And I'm not going to pretend that by the time I was your age I was still sweet and innocent because I wasn't and I've seen enough markings on you to know that you're not either. I just wanted to say one thing…" He took a deep breath and leaned back into the seat, sinking a little lower and shifted uncomfortably__. "Just… take care."_

_Sam frowned. "Take care?"_

_"Yeah. Look, I could tell within seconds that you're really into her, and yes she seems a little wary for reasons I'm sure you already know and we may never find out, but your mom and I are convinced that she's totally into you too. The thing is, us Evans men, we find it hard and scary to fall, but when we do, we will go all out for love. Mostly that's a good thing, but the phrase 'fool for love' is there for a reason. We need to think with our heads. And I mean the big head not the little one. Don't get me wrong, we love Mercedes. And confession time means that I have to reveal that your mom and I did do a little eavesdropping when you were in the kitchen. That girl's got you whipped Sammy boy! But the way that you both worked together showed an impressive level of maturity and familiarity between the two of you. Being in a good relationship is about working together as a good team and you guys are clearly already able to do that. That's good because it's a skill that will prove to be essential in your future. Do you see yourself with her in the future?"_

_Sam nodded. "It's the only future I can imagine now."_

_"You know that means you have to take care of her and of yourself."_

_"Well yeah…"_

_"It's a serious responsibility Sam."_

_"Yeah, I know."_

_"I know that you know, but do you actually _understand_?"_

_"Look, I won't get her pregnant dad!"_

_Dwight scoffed. "Damn right you won't! You're only kids yourselves and you've got so much ahead of you. I've already given you a 'get out of jail free' card on that little chat but the principle still stands and so does common sense. But taking care doesn't mean just that. She's another person with thoughts and feelings that you have to respect. What you pulled on her today wasn't fair and wasn't right. Luckily she cares about you enough to forgive you and it all worked out, but you have to always remember to think before you act. If you're not careful, one day all that forgiveness will run out, and trust me, when it does, it always happens at the worst possible time. Be honest with her at all times and make sure that you communicate properly. Don't just talk, actually make sure that you _listen _to what she has to say rather than just hearing what you want to hear."_

_Sam smiled "You sound like grandpa!"_

_"Well, he was I wise man. It was an honor to be brought up by him."_

_"I know. He was the one who made me realize I was in love with Mercedes."_

_"You see, the thing with us Evans men is that sometimes we do have that tendency to think with our little heads rather than our big ones. And it can get us into all sorts of trouble. There's nothing wrong with having a little swagger and sometimes being downright 'aint!shit' – don't tell your mother I said that – but that alone does not make a great relationship. I'm getting the vibe from you that something went very wrong with Mercedes and you're trying to fix it. Mom and I are really rooting for you because we truly think that you guys could work."_

_"Thanks dad." Sam was relieved that the talk wasn't nearly as bad as he had thought it was going to be. He went to stand but his dad indicated for him to sit again._

_"Just one last thing…" He cringed, this couldn't be anything good… "Cousin Lenny…"_

_Sam frowned. Yep, he knew this was coming. His dad's cousin Lenny was married to Chantelle, a beautiful black woman who always had waist length braids. He remembered being at their wedding and noticing some family members missing. But at the time he hadn't quite been old enough to realize the significance of it. They had been at the funeral after leaving the kids back home with the in-laws. There had been those who said they wouldn't last but they had. And when uncle Ned had mentioned the men in the family being fools for love and how love was unselfish and knows no fear he knew that he had looked over to them as he had spoken. They had fought and succeeded in being together despite the hurdles they had favrf and his grandpa had loved them and their children like mad. He nodded to himself. "I know what you're trying to say dad."_

_"That's good. Because it means that I don't have to spell it out. When I said take care I meant taking care of yourselves too. Lima's a small town and even in this day and age small towns sometimes harbor small minds. Just remember that the people who truly matter to you and are genuinely important in your life do not care about who you chose to love. We see the person not the color. And if anyone has an issue with that then they're not worth your time and effort. Take care of Mercedes, don't let people bring her down. And take care of yourself. Don't rise to provocation if you ever get it. It's not worth it. The two of you are strong when you stand as a unit. Don't let anything come between you or make you feel that this is too hard. The love of a good woman is too good a gift to miss out on through fear."_

_Sam hadn't expected the serious tone of this conversation. And he definitely hadn't expected to get it so quickly. Maybe his parents had seen something in the two of them. He remembered thinking last year about what people's responses to him and Mercedes might be, but in all honesty, this time, he had been so focused on getting her back he hadn't thought about those possibilities. He knew that he could be hot headed and was an extremely defensive person when he saw injustice. The Kurt/Karofsky incident was a prime example of that. Explaining the black eye from a fight that didn't even necessarily involve him wasn't easy but neither was he sorry for his actions. He was, however, going to have to start rethinking the way that he was always happy to jump in with his fists when people had issues._

_"I get it dad."_

_"I honestly hope you do Sammy son." Dwight stood up, stretched his back until it made a loud cracking noise then let out a wide yawn. "Well I'm off to bed now. I promised your mother I would do some work in the bathroom tomorrow so I'd better do it." He leaned forward towards Sam and lowered his tone. "The last pearl of wisdom I will leave you with is this: If you keep your woman happy, then you will be happy. If you piss her off, then she will make you wish that you would rather face the heat of a thousand suns than her rage. So just make sure that you never piss her off. It's just easier that way. And you'll get more sex." He frowned. "And I think I just overshared so I'm going to quietly step away and pretend that last statement never happened."_

_Sam stifled his laughter by burying his face in his hands and by the time he looked up his embarrassed father had gone._

_But he knew that buried within that awkward conversation were some wise words that he needed to pay attention to._

_And yes, he was determined to always take care of Mercedes._

Sam could barely contain his excitement as he watched her car pull into the parking lot. She was fifteen minutes early herself.

It wasn't like the two of them weren't eager or anything…

She spotted his car and pulled in alongside him. By the time she had unbuckled her seatbelt he was at her door, holding it open for her.

"You didn't have to."

"I know. But I want to."

She chuckled as she locked the car. "You're really something else. You know that?"

"Yep. But so are you. The difference is that you're a _beautiful_ something else." He took a moment to fully appreciate her appearance. She'd used the curling iron to style her hair in thick curls that cascaded down her shoulders. Her makeup was light and her lips glossed rather than lipstick. And _yes! _She was wearing a dress. It was a very simple red jersey dress that clung in all the right places and flared out in all the others. It fitted so well that it looked as if it could have been made for her. And of course the shoes and the bag were going to match to bring the outfit to completion. "You look beautiful Mercedes."

She smiled shyly. "You've scrubbed up pretty good yourself." He was just wearing slacks and a shirt but he was looking smart because he knew that it was to have been a special time for Mercedes. Her first real date. She had confided in him the year before that Puck had never actually taken her out on a proper date and she'd wanted nothing more than to walk into Breadsticks hand in hand like other couples did.

As they turned to walk towards the entrance he slid his fingers into hers.

She frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Holding your hand."

"Why?"

"Because this is a date. And as such, I feel that we should start it properly by walking in hand in hand."

"And if I don't want to?" He could tell that she was getting anxious but she wasn't going to get out of it.

"Then you would have let go already. But you haven't. And in case you hadn't noticed, we're already at the entrance so it would be stupid to let go now." Sam used his free hand to hold the door open and allow her to walk in first while he kept a firm grasp of her with the other. "This is what I should have done last year. Please give me the chance to make it up to you."

Mercedes said nothing, but neither did she let go of his hand.

As it was, the only person who saw then holding hands was the waitress who showed them to their seats but it still felt good. Sam had come with Mercedes and he wanted everyone to know it

He flushed and she giggled as he pulled out the chair for her to sit first and tucked her seat in before sitting himself. _Chivalry is not dead. Especially in the South._

"So how was your day Cedes?"

She smiled. "It was good. Church in the morning and lunch with the family. How about yours?"

He grinned. "I guess it was okay. I spent most of it trying to dodge the third degree from my parents."

That giggle was back. "You only have yourself to blame for that. I could see the way that they were bursting to come out with questions last night. I hope they made you suffer!"

"Hey! That's cruel!"

"And so was pulling a fast one on all of us. You're damn lucky that they were crazy enough to like me."

"They'd be crazy not to like you. And yes I got told off yet again for not communicating my plans better."

She smiled. "And so you should!"

There was a lull in the conversation as they perused the menus.

Mercedes giggled nervously. "This feels weird."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I guess I don't really know what you're supposed to do on a date."

"You're just supposed to relax and have fun."

"Really?"

"Yep. That's all. It's the guy's job to make you feel like a million dollars so I guess all the hard work is on me."

"I guess it is."

"But being with you is never hard work."

She cringed. "Is the constant cheesy lines part of it too? Coz Puck tried that on my once and I swear I have a very low tolerance of it."

"I promise to try not to be cheesy. But what I will be is honest. It's something I should have been with you a long time ago. But if my being honest comes off as a little cheesy then i'm afraid you're just going to have to suck that up coz that's just how I feel about you right now."

Mercedes but her bottom lip and the waitress came with a basket of breadsticks to take their order before he could say anything more.

He watched as she picked nervously at her breadstick. "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

She sighed. "Not uncomfortable as such. Just strange. It seems weird us being here together like this. It somehow makes everything that little bit more real and I guess I haven't adjusted to it yet. When it's just me and you I'm fine, like last night at your house. But here… I guess, there's a little part of me that thinks someone's going to walk in and look at the two of us and wonder what you're doing with a girl like me after your little parade of Cheerios."

Sam reached across the table and took her hand. "Then they would be wrong to think that. They clearly don't see what I see." He stayed for a moment, stroking the soft skin on the back of her hand before reaching for his jacket. "Cedes, there's something I've wanted you to have for a really long time now. And I'm hoping today you'll finally accept it." He reached for the inside pocket and pulled out the long slim purple box which had been in the back of his locker since his return. "I bought this for you the day that my dad told us that we leaving Kentucky to move back to Lima . I brought it to school to give it to you on the first day but you blew me off. So I kept it to give to you as your Christmas present but you refused to accept it because you still had your boyfriend. Then I tried on that disaster of a Valentine's Day and we all know how badly that went down. So I kept it there until I found the perfect opportunity to give it to you. And I think that perfect time is now." He pushed the box towards her and she looked at him questioningly.

"I remember you trying to give me this so many times. I thought you were trying to bribe my affections."

"Maybe I was. But the sentiment was always true. And I always meant for you to have this. Only you. That's why I never sent it back for a refund or gave it to anyone else. Every day I would open my locker and see it and think of you."

She eyed the box carefully before finally taking it and opening the contrasting white ribbon. There was a small gasp when she lifted the lid and saw the contents.

"It's not very expensive. But I used my own money for it. It's something purely from me for you."

She lifted the silver chain from the box and held it in her hand, her fingers tracing the three letters that hung from it. "It's gorgeous Sam."

"It means-"

"In know. L-O-R is Na'Vi for beautiful."

"I didn't have enough money to get all the letters for the word beautiful. But I thought it could be like a private joke between us."

She looked at him with eyes shining with emotion. "I really love it Sam. It's great as it is. A necklace in Na'Vi is something which has you stamped all over it. I can't believe you had it for so long and held on to it."

"I guess deep down I always knew how I felt about you. It just took a while for it to filter its way up to the surface." He looked at the letter M that she was already wearing around her neck. "Shall I put it on you now?"

She nodded then rapidly changed her mind and shook her head. "No."

His heart sank. "Why? Why not?"

She gently laid the necklace back in the box, fingering the small diamond that was set into the top of the letter 'o' with a small smile. "Because I think I want to wear it to prom."

Sam sighed in relief and reached for her fingers again. "Because you are beautiful you know. Extremely beautiful. On the inside as well as outside." She bit her lip shyly. "You need to believe it Mercedes. Because I'm gonna keep telling you over and over til you actually start to believe it yourself. You're the only girl I want to be seen out with. And I can't wait to go to prom with you."

"Why are you saying all this stuff Sam?"

"Because it's what I should have been saying to you before but I was too scared. And I let my fear get in the way of me making you feel special. I'll always regret that, but I want to let you know that I'm going to do my best to make up for it. From now on I'm going to be honest with you about everything. I need to trust me and I know that I need give you reason to trust me so we're going to do this properly. As me anything and I promise to give you an honest answer."

"Anything?"

"Yes anything." She thought for a moment as their food arrived. "What do your parents think of me?"

"They like you."

"Really?"

"No. Actually I think they love you. They already loved you from the way the kids speak about you. And then they met you and now all I get is the third degree."

"I thought you said they're not that kind of parents."

"They'd never say anything to embarrass you. But they grilled the hell out of me. My dad even sat me down for a little 'chat'. It was the scariest thing on earth."

"Did you tell him that he's far too late with his little father/son talk?"

Sam laughed. "He guessed that already. He just wanted to make sure that I treat you right."

"I like him more and more by the minute."

"And he says we need to communicate better. Or rather, I should communicate better."

"He's right Sam."

"I know he is. And I promise I'm trying. That's why I need you to ask me stuff. Sometimes I just don't think to say things that I really should."

"And I promise to help you with communication by always being upfront with you too."

Once their food arrived they laughed and chatted like a regular date. Mercedes appeared to be enjoying herself and Sam was able to relax more and more.

It was only when they were waiting for their desserts that Mercedes worked up the courage to ask Sam another question. She blurted it out in the middle of a conversation about Doctor Who and it stunned him for a moment.  
>"How many girls did you have sex with when you were in Kentucky?"<br>Sam nearly choked but recovered quickly. "Two."

She flinched slightly but kept looking at him, clearly waiting for more information.

"They were both momentary lapses of judgment that I regretted immediately. The first time, it was the day that you updated your Facebook status to being in a relationship with Shane. Up until that day I had still held out hope that one day you would call and we would work something out. I know I was equally as guilty for not calling you but all I could think of in that moment was that I'd been gone less than a month and you'd moved on. So I 'moved on' with pretty much the next customer to walk into the Dairy Queen and got myself fired on the spot. I felt ashamed and a failure for being so stupid and losing the income that my family needed so badly. That was the rock bottom I hit which prompted me to accept the job in Stallionz which I had ignored until then. My behavior that night had made me feel cheap so I figured working there wouldn't be such a big leap. Besides, the money was far better than DQ."

He watched as she nodded to herself, totally unable to read what she was feeling. He wasn't proud of his actions but he'd promised to be honest and if they were going to have any kind of future together then she deserved to know.

Her voice was hesitant. "So while you worked there, did you ever…" She bit her lip and he knew exactly what she was trying to ask.

"No. I was already working there underage. The extra trouble it would have caused to be involved with any of their clientele was not worth it. And MILFs really aren't my thing. That's Puck's pool cleaning domain!" He paused, knowing she expected more. "The other was at a party. My grandpa had just died and I was looking for some comfort. This girl, from the back she could have been you. And I thought maybe just for a few moments I could close my eyes and transport myself to last supper and pretend it was you comforting me. Obviously it made me feel worse not better but I was in a really bad place at that moment. I know it doesn't excuse how I behaved but I hope it at least helps you to try and understand. They were both diversions to what was going on in my life. They were meaningless. I regretted them at the time and I regret them now."

"I can't judge you Sam. I jumped into a relationship with Shane."

"But at least you were in a relationship. Having lots of sex under those circumstances is justified!"

"But we didn't have loads of-" She sighed. "It was only once and it wasn't that great."

Sam fought a smile and she looked like she was going to explain more but unfortunately their desserts arrived and she clammed up on the subject.

As they began eating again Sam opted for a lighter subject. "So, prom on Saturday! Have you decided what you're going to sing yet?"

She smiled. "It's a surprise. What about you?"

He returned the grin. "It's a surprise too."

"School is going to be such a drag this week. Everyone will be talking about prom, who the king and queen will be and what the dresses will be like."

"That's perfectly normal. I'll just spend the week excited just to be with you!"

Sam insisted on paying because it was a date and Mercedes didn't much feel like fighting him this one time after she had grilled him. As they walked back to their cars they held hands again. "So would you count this as a successful date?"

Mercedes pretended to look unsure and shrugged before breaking out into a grin. "It was great!"

"I'm glad." They stopped at their cars and that's where things got awkward. Sam would have given anything to kiss her properly but settled for a peck on the cheek. This business of wooing was a fucking nightmare! "So I was thinking, with school and everything, I won't really get to spend much time with you. But then I remembered that the kids have after school clubs on Wednesday and we don't have Glee. Do you want to come to the park with me? We'll only have about an hour but I figured I could bring some Cool Ranch Doritos and a blanket and we could make a mini date of it?"

She smiled. "Sure, why not."

He held her door open for her as she climbed inside and shut it behind her. Tapping the class made her put down her window. He leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. He pulled back and saw the slight disappointment on her face. Clearly she was finding the slow courting difficult too!

"Mercedes I-" He wanted to so badly but he _just couldn't say it! _Not right here right now. Not like this. It seemed wrong for him to tell her that he loved her in the middle of a parking lot. "I- I just wanted to say, see you at school tomorrow."

She smiled warmly up at him as she started her engine. "Goodnight Sam."

"Goodnight Mercedes."

* * *

><p>School moved achingly slow for Sam. Monday was the slowest day of all. Seeing Mercedes was hard. Technically they weren't exactly official yet so he didn't quite know how to react around her at school. He wanted to just pull her into his arms at every opportunity, but knew that he was going to have to wait until things were completely official between them. Listening to Rory and his woes over Sugar was a pleasant distraction while they worked along with Mike on the choreography for their prom performance. But even that, because of the song they were singing, just made him think of Mercedes more and more.<p>

Tuesday he ended up face to face with Shane. The larger boy had never had the chance to give his reaction to Sam's little outburst and it was always playing on the back of his mind.

He expected a confrontation but never received one. Shane simply looked at him, nodded in acknowledgement then moved on. _What the hell does that mean? Are things okay between us now?_

All Sam knew was that guy had the opportunity to beat the living shit out of him but didn't, which could mean one of three things, firstly, that he was over it and moving on, secondly, that he was just making him sweat until the right time to beat the living shit out of him or thirdly, he had something else nasty planned for him and was just smugly awaiting its implementation.

He sincerely hoped it was the first because the second and third didn't bear thonking about...

By the time school finished on Wednesday Sam practically ran to his car. It was parked next to Mercedes' and they were going to meet there and drive to the park in seperate cars so that he could leave to pick the kids up straight after while she went home.

As he stood he kept looking at his watch and tapping his foot impatiently. _She should be here by now!_

Five minutes stretched into ten and Sam began to get anxious. He started to head towards the playing fields to see if he could find her before he spotted two figures near the bleachers. As she neared them he recognized them as Mercedes and Shane.

And just as he was about to call out to her he noticed her reach up to the linebacker and pull him into a tight lingering hug.

_What the hell was he seeing?_

_What the hell was she playing at?_

Bile started to rise from his stomach and he felt his fists clench tightly at his sides as his heart began to pound. He really wanted to believe that there was a good explanation for what he was seeing but his body just wanted to fight first and ask questions later…

* * *

><p><em><strong>I had no idea this date was going to be so long and wordy! I wanted to put some smut in here but it just didn't fit.<strong>_

_**Only two chapters left! I'm missing this fic already!**_


	18. Confessions

Sam stared at the two figures in disbelief. _What the hell was going on? _He and Mercedes had been making so much progress, finally saying the things that needed to be said and creating the beginnings of a mature relationship. Then there was Jordana! Poor Jordana had been walking round on cloud 9 after finally getting her wish to go to prom with Shane. All her fears of being caught up in someone who was obsessed with someone else had rurned out to be true after all. He smiled bitterly, the irony of the situation finally dawning on him. He was only getting what he deserved after doing the same. So this was Shane's grand plan in response to his brave little speech about loving Mercedes. Sam cursed himself for revealing his feelings and therefore giving the other boy the ammunition to hurt him.

Because it did hurt. Like somebody had stabbed him right in the chest before twisting the knife for good measure.

He was seconds away from flying over and breaking up the couple when he remembered his dad's words. Maybe he was being too hasty. He couldn't think of an innocent reason to explain what he just saw but maybe there was one. He at least owed it to Mercedes to hear her side. After all, he was supposed to listen. He was supposed to have changed.

Sam forced himself to pull his eyes away from the pair. Mercedes had now pulled away from the hug but she was still holding on to both of his hands and looking up at him with the brightest of smiles.

Doing his best to try and quell his rage and bitter disappointment he returned to his car and sat in the driver's seat. After what felt like less than a minute he was startled by a tap on the glass. He wound it down to reveal a flustered Mercedes who looked like she had been running. Despite everything he was feeling, the sight of her face made him smile. "Hey!"

"Hey Sam! I am sooooooo sorry. I ran into someone on my way to meet you and..." Her voice faltered a little. "The conversation got a little intense and the time sort of ran away."

He forced himself to shrug as if it was no big deal. He wanted to blurt out what he had seen. He wanted to yell and scream what the fuck was she playing at but instead he simply clenched his jaw.

Mercedes frowned at the sight of it. "Sam, are you okay."

"Yeah, sure. Why wouldn't I be? I've been looking forward to this all day so we'd better get going."

She stared hard at him and opened her mouth to say something more but he turned on the ignition and revved his engine before forcing himself to face her with another smile. "Race you?"

"Sure!"

Pretending everything was okay was killing Sam. He knew that Mercedes and Shane were still friends. So why the hell did she feel like she couldn't tell him where she was just now? For some reason, what hurt him more than the hug was the fact that she just didn't feel that she should come clean about who she was with to make her so late. It wasn't unreasonable to feel like this was it?

He looked at the clock on his dash and realized that she was only actually two minutes late. It's just the fact that she was usually ten minutes early that had thrown him. The short drive to the park had his head spinning. Were they about to break everything that he had tried so hard to make? Should he confront her or leave her to speak up in her own time? And if he did wait to give her a chance to speak up for herself, how long should he give her to try and do it?

His head began to pound with these damn infernal questions again. What the hell was it about this girl that made him constantly end up questioning what he thought he was?

He looked in the rearview mirror at Mercedes driving behind him. He tried to smile at her but she was so lost in thought that she didn't notice. What the hell was she thinking about? Was she running over the words that she was going to say as she handed back the necklace and told him that she wouldn't be going to prom after all?

Sam was so caught up he almost missed the turning for the entrance to the park. He knew if he wasn't careful, he could overthink things. But on the other hand, sometimes his greatest problem was that he didn't think enough. How the hell do people strike a balance?

He knew that his dad had told him he should listen. But surely that only works if she's actually going to _say_ something?

He pulled into an empty space and watched as Mercedes parked up alongside him. He took a deep breath and stepped out, resolved to give Mercedes the entire length of the 'date' to speak up before he said something himself. If she was going to hurt him then he wanted it to be a clean break. His heart would not be able to take much more than that.

And yet _still_ he was up and out of his car so that he could open her door for her.

* * *

><p>Things were strangely quiet as they walked through the park. Whenever Sam looked at her she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, but at least when he took her hand she allowed him to hold it until they found a small secluded clearing where they finally laid down Sam's blanket. As they sat, Mercedes collected herself and rooted through her bag pulling out a couple of cans of soda. "I thought we might need these. Doritos make you thirsty."<p>

"Thanks." Sam took the cans from her. He hadn't meant for his voice to sound so miserable but even he was shocked by it's tone.

She looked at him with a distressed expression before hugging her knees as she sat on the blanket. "I'm sorry Sam. I didn't mean to blank out on you like that. I was just - I needed a moment..."

"No. It's okay. Take as long as you need."

She shook her head. "No. We're all about honesty this time round and we need to talk things through. When I told you I was late because someone stopped me and wanted to talk... well... It was Shane. He kind of confronted me about us having been out. He's good friends with one of the servers at Breadstix who saw us together on Sunday." Sam took a deep breath and his insides started clenching as she continued. "He said some stuff about you and now I just don't know what to think."

Sam felt his jaw tightening again. If Shane had said anything that was untrue about him or hurtful to Mercedes then he didn't care about the size difference. He would take him on like a man!

His initial rage eased slightly at the feel of Mercedes' hand touching his leg. He looked at her face to see that she was smiling at him. "Don't get mad Sam! What Shane said- it was really positive. It just took me by suprise and... well... you know that feeling when you really really want something, then when you actually get it you're so scared and nervous that you don't know what to do with it?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah. I think so." He was thinking about himself and his admission of being in love after so much denial.

"Shane said you spoke to him. That you apologized for what went down with us."

Sam nodded, avoiding her eyes. "He deserved to hear it. I didn't know him. He'd never done anything to me. The only thing he was guilty of was going out with a girl who was already single. He walked right into the middle of our messy situation and didn't deserve the shit that landed on him. It's only right that I at least try to make that right."

Her voice was soft. "You didn't tell me."

"I didn't need to. It was between me and him. It wasn't a ploy to get you back. It was about me manning up and trying to be a better person. To be honest, I didn't think he would even tell you. I didn't expect him to."

"He said he wasn't going to but he didn't want to see me getting hurt. He still cares about me."

The mention of that name made Sam frown. "But what about Jordana?"

"Oh, he likes her too. More than likes her I suspect, but he wants to see me right first. Despite what you think, he and I do share a deep connection that goes beyond our brief relationship."

Without meaning to his lips formed into a pout. "But he's always going to be in the way isn't he."

She shook her head. "No. Not necessarily. I don't know what exactly made you do it but he says that you stood up to him and refused to back down in your pursuit of me. It should have made him angry and it did initially, but then he thought about it and though I know for a fact that he'll never tell you to your face or offer to be your friend, he does respect you for it. He said it was more than just an apology and it took a lot of courage and conviction."

"It didn't take courage, it just took honesty. I'm not going to stop pursuing you because he told me to back off. He needed to know that I'm going to keep pursuing you because I love you and i'll do whatever it takes for you to finally see that. The final decision is yours not his."

He watched as her jaw dropped.

"Wait - what did you just say?"

"I said that-" It was Sam's turn to frown. "Hold on, Shane didn't tell you that bit?"

She shook her head, speechless.

"So you didn't know... Oh shit." This was not the way he had planned on it coming out. Not the way at all! He stared at her face and noticed that her skin had turned ashen. He guessed that it was her equivalent of turning pale.

It wasn't the way that he wanted it to happen. He was supposed to tell her at the perfect moment and now, yet again, his thunder was stolen. Was anything ever going to go right for him?

"Look Mercedes..."

He reached across and took her arms from her knees so that he could take her hands in his. She avoided his eyes so he lifted her chin with his finger to force her to look at him.

Her voice was shaky and her eyes were filling with tears. "It's not fair for you to say stuff like that if you don't mean it Sam."

He shook his head. "Listen to me. This is not how I saw the moment go down when I played it in my head but the cat's out of the bag now so I just have to go with it. I love you Mercedes Jones. I. Love. _You_. I know it took me far too long to realize it but now I do, I know that there's no going back. I'm a stupid idiot. My heart knew I was in love with you way before my brain caught up. Shane pretty much told me that if I don't love you I should leave you alone. But I do. I love you like crazy. It took me losing a lot for me to finally see it but I got there in the end. So I'm not going to leave you alone. I'm going to do whatever it takes to prove to you how I feel, and let you know that you've made me change into a better person."

She started to pull her hand out of his. "Sam I-"

"No! You have to hear me out on this. Then if you still decide that you can't face this and choose to break my heart then I will accept it. But please, just let me say my piece first. I did you so wrong, not just last summer, but also when I came back. I knew you had feelings for me but I didn't know how to handle what I was starting to feel for you back so I hid behind my swagger. But leaving you, that last day in Lima, was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I wanted to make a clean break of it but you and your one last fling for old time's sake. It was different. You can tell me you didn't feel something that day but I won't believe it. The same as I would be lying if I said I didn't feel anything either. It was more than sex. There were feelings. Feelings I was too scared to face when I was going to be leaving. The same feelings that prompted me to say what I said that time in the janitor's closet about standing by you forever. I know you asked me about it afterwards but I honestly didn't know the answer then. All I knew was that if it had happened, it wouldn't have been the end of the world and the idea of being with you forever with a family didn't scare me like it should have.

There were all these clues and somehow I missed them. On that last day in Lima you told me that I said something to you but I forgot what it was. It was partly true. As you were falling asleep I did tell you that I wanted to make a go of us. To do things properly. To be a real couple. But then I got the news about my family moving to Kentucky before I had the chance to tell you while you were awake and talk about it properly. That bit I knew for sure. The other bit… for weeks I'd been dreaming about that night, different scenarios of how it could turn out, but one night I had a dream that felt different. It took me a while to realize it was because the dream wasn't a dream, it was a memory. You were so convinced that you said something in the night to ruin things that I didn't realize it was actually me. When you got up in the night I spoke to you. I was still asleep, but I didn't want to let you go. I've told you enough about my grandparents to know the meaning of what I said. I swear I've never said those words to anyone before in my life, so for me to say it when I'm mostly asleep and at my most vulnerable- Well it's damn near impossible to consciously lie when you're in that state. You were my love, you _are _my love. And even if you get up and walk away from me right now and never turn back you would always be my love. And more than anything right now, I just want you… to stay."

Suddenly he noticed the tears that had fallen on his cheeks. First during his little speech in Glee club and again right now in the park. This girl was making him all sorts of emotional. And he wasn't even sorry.

Mercedes was looking at him now. Staring actually. But he didn't care. He had put himself on the line. He couldn't lose her now. He knew he had said he would let her go if she made the choice but that was turning out to be one big fat juicy lie. He would rather die than be without her. She stared at him while stroking his cheek but her continued silence was deafening. It was like, despite all of his words, she still didn't believe him. And he knew that there was nothing more that he could say or do make her change her mind. He quickly wiped his tears with the back of his hand and straightened up. His voice went back from impassioned plea to normal. "But like I said, you're still free to go back to Shane if you want."

She frowned. "But why would I want that?"

"I saw you."

"What?"

"I came to look for you because you weren't at your car. I saw you reach up and hug him. I saw you smile while you held his hands. I can't compete with that Mercedes. My loving you can't stop you from going back to him."

Mercedes broke him from his reverie of misery with a swift whack to the top of his arm.

"Ouch! What the hell was that for?"

She laughed and despite everything the sound made him feel ever so slightly better. "For you being such an idiot!"

"I'm not an-"

She was laughing even harder as she leaned forward to peck him on the cheek and he blushed.

"You know, you're so cute when you're being all jealous."

"Jealous?"

"Did you not listen to a damn word I said to you about my conversation with Shane?"

"Yes."

"I'm not sure you did Sam. Because if you did you would have realized that the conversation was about him confronting me about how I felt for you, while indirectly letting me know that you were serious about me. He was telling me that if I still wanted you I should go for it. And I was hugging him to say thanks for being so honest with me because he more than anyone knows how crazy I am about you and he just doesn't want to see me hurt."

Things were finally starting to sink in for Sam. "What do you mean by him more than anyone?"

She sighed and looked at her hands. "My relationship with Shane… It was always a bit weird and intense. We moved way too fast way too quickly. He worked in Breadstix over the summer which is where I met him the day after you left. I'd been stood up for lunch by Kurt who had forgotten our appointment and was visiting Blaine at 6 Flags but I decided to stay and order anyway because I was hungry. Shane was my server and said I was far too pretty to look so sad. He really looked after me that day and whenever he had a spare minute he would sit and keep me company. Then at the end of it he asked me on a date. I told him that I'd just broken up with someone and it wasn't a good idea but he just wrote his number on a paper napkin and said the offer of a date still stood, but if I didn't want that there was the secondary offer of a shoulder to cry on.

I had no intention of taking him up on his offer but I was so caught up in my darkness over you leaving that I knew I needed a distraction so I met him for a coffee. We had an amazing time, discovered that we had loads in common and talked for so long that they eventually had to chuck us out to close up. After a few more meetings like that he eventually he wore me down and convinced me to go for a date. You and I… we were never actually really a thing so technically it wasn't even a rebound. He knew I was getting over someone and was happy to take things slow but I wanted to move faster. I missed you, I missed your touch and I figured if I was with someone else it would help me to forget faster. So… not long after school started, I'm not proud of this but I did my best to seduce Shane and it worked. At least I thought it did until I accidentally screamed your name. I felt bad, he felt bad and it was just so embarrassing. But Shane insisted we deal with it maturely and talk about it so we did. He wanted to end things because my heart wasn't completely in it but I begged him not to. I convinced him that we just needed to take it slow. To make me happy he said yes, but the relationship was never really balanced and it never really recovered from that blow. I wanted him for the friendship and he wanted me for more, even though he saw I couldn't really give it. I genuinely thought that all we needed was time. And if you hadn't come back then maybe things would have been fine. But you did come back, and like a magnet I was sucked right back into you and into your bed so to speak. Shane knew something was up but didn't know what and I felt terrible for going behind his back. He'd been nothing but nice to me, I had convinced him to stay in a relationship that was unequal and then I cheated on him. Now you know why I felt so terrible and hated myself so much. But worst of all was losing our friendship. Shane was everything to me, especially when I left Glee for the Troubletones. He supported me when nobody else did. He had the courage to stand by me when all my other so called friends were dropping me like a hot potato."

This time the tear was sliding down her cheek. "I love him Sam. But not the way that I love you. Never the way that I love you. He saw that a long time ago and he knows that he will never be able to change that."

Sam tried really hard to take that whole sentence in, but he was stuck at the part where she said that she loved him. That she loved him back! His smile burned his lips as he grabbed her by the arms. "Do you mean that? Do you really mean it?"

She nodded and without another word leaned forward to kiss him on the lips, softly, gently but with feeling.

Sam thought his heart was going to burst. So many times he had tried to imagine this moment. None were anywhere near as good as the reality. He loved her, she loved him and all was good in the world. There was just one more little thing…

He reluctantly pulled himself away from the kiss and she whimpered slightly.

"Mercedes, I need to ask you something." She'd had her eyes closed for the kiss and she now opened them and he could see the hint of annoyance in her expression for the interruption.

"This had better be good." She murmured in reply.

"Oh, it's the best, I promise." He shuffled on the blanket so that he was sat before her on his knees before taking both of her hands in his and kissing the backs of them gently. "So the thing I need to ask you is this…" He looked her straight in the eyes and nearly forgot to what he was going to say as he got lost in them. "So yeah… I know I already asked you to prom and you already agreed, but… well… I just wanted to clarify something. I was kinda hoping that you'll come to prom as more than just my date. Will you come to prom… as my girlfriend? Officially?"

She smiled so brightly that he could have sworn he heard birds starting to sing above them. "Officially?"

"Officially."

"Your girlfriend?"

He nodded, gripping her hand tighter. "My girlfriend."

She smiled. "When do you need to know by?"

_What the-_

"Sam! I'm joking!" She threw her head back and laughed at his stricken expression. "Oh hell to the yes! Of course I'll be your girlfriend you geek!"

Sam's heart began to return to its normal pace. "That wasn't funny Mercedes!"

"Yes it was. Now shut up. I need to kiss my totally hot geeky boyfriend who just told me that he loves me!"

Sam didn't need telling twice which was lucky because she was already pushing him backwards onto the blanket as she began kissing him again, this time more deeper and heated than before. She moaned as Sam pulled them so that they were lying on their sides and gripped her closer around the waist, pulling her towards him as she threw her arms around his shoulders.

This right here was a slice of heaven. Of perfection. This was where he needed to be forever and always.

His hands slowly moved down towards her ass. He didn't mean to but, well, it was there and he was a hormonal teenage boy!

In the back of his mind he knew that he needed to show some restraint but it was just so hard. Her lips were so plump and juicy and her tongue was teasing his so badly that he just wanted to bite her. Every move and sound she made set him off and made this harder.

It was only when she threw her leg over his and started to grind against him that he knew he needed to put a stop to this. Those familiar stirrings were back and the last time she had started to grind up on him like this was on his last day in Lima and they both knew how that had ended.

"Mercedes!" He finally managed to pull his face away from hers. "Mercedes we have to stop this!"

"Why? Nobody can see us!"

"Because we can't start something that we won't be able to finish!"

She looked into his eyes breathlessly. "Again I ask why? Nobody can see us!"

"But we're outside!"

"I have no problem with that!"

"And neither would I normally. But we've only just got back together. I want this to be more special than a fumble on a blanket in the park. You made me work for this, you deserve more."

"But Sam, I want you now."

_And I fucking want you too! _He shook his head sadly. "My phone is going to go off any minute to tell me that I have to go collect the kids. You and me, we're going to need some quality time for our reunion. And I'm sorry but this isn't it."

Mercedes pouted and frowned as she thought carefully before breaking out in the hugest grin. "Oh my god! I have the perfect solution!"

Sam raised himself up on one elbow. "What is it?"

"My parents. It's their 25th anniversary this weekend. They were going to go away Friday night but decided to stay because they wanted to see me off for my senior prom. But they're away Saturday and Sunday night at some spa hotel thing."

"And they're leaving you home alone? When you have a date for prom?"

"I already told them about Rachel's post prom slumber party so they're already assuming that I'm going there. And don't worry, I've told them I'm going with one of the guys from Glee club. Knowing my dad he's assume it's Artie because he mistakenly assumes that Artie is impotent because of his injury which therefore makes him feel that I'm safe in his hands! By the time he actually meets you on Saturday night he'll be powerless to stop things."

"Your dad looks scary!"

"Yeah…" Sam didn't fail to notice the fact that she didn't disagree with him. "But you'll be fine."

He decided to take her word for it as he twisted some of the hair from her pony around his finger.

"So anyway Sam, I was thinking."

"Uh huh."

"Even though I don't get to have sex with my totally hot boyfriend right now, do I at least get to make out with him?"

He chuckled before tickling her waist and bringing his lips to her throat. "I'd say that would be a hell to the yes!"

It felt like only a few brief seconds before Sam's phone alarm went off and he groaned. Clearly it had been more than five minutes because his hands were already underneath her top teasing her nipples through the fabric of her bra while her hands were all over his back and abs.

"Five more minutes?" Mercedes murmured against his lips.

"Nope, sorry!" He reluctantly detangled himself from her grip and began to stand, adjusting the uncomfortable bulge in his jeans. "I can't risk being late. If my parents ground me now I don't know what I'll do."

She sighed and also rose, joining him in rolling up the blanket before they walked hand in hand back to the car. She looked again at the bulge in his jeans and smiled. "You look as if you could do with a cold shower."

"Sadly no time. I personally find a mental image of Rachel trying to twerk her nonexistent butt usually has me soft in seconds."

Mercedes failed to hide the sound of her snort and didn't even bother tho attempt to disagree as she squeezed his hand as they approached the parking lot. Sam moaned as he suddenly realized that her scent was now all mixed up in his clothes. "You know, this whole respecting you and your body thing is really hard for me."

She smiled up at him. "I know. But I promise you, on Saturday, as long as you promise to respect me as a person, you can disrespect my body as much as you like."

"I'll look forward to it!"

"Not as much as I will!"

They were nearly there when the thought suddenly came to her. "Hey Sam!"

"Yeah?"

"We never ate any of the Doritos!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Next up... Prom...<strong>_


	19. Prom Part 1

_**Final chapter is now in two parts coz it grew too big. It's probably full of typos etc but i'll sort that out tomorrow!**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>McKinley Prom 2012<strong>_

If anybody had told Sam one year earlier what his life would be now he would never have believed them. He would never have believed that he would be standing outside the front door of a smart house sweating buckets. Yet here he was. He knocked politely, and as the sound of heavy footsteps approached he felt his heart plummet to the soles of his shoes. He had spent the entire day feeling physically sick with nerves. He had cursed himself over and over again for not having accepted Mercedes' offer last year of introducing him to her parents as a friend. Friend would have been easy. Prom date, not so. He tried hard to imagine how he would be feeling the day Stacy brought home a prom date. Hell would freeze over before that guy would be given an easy ride.

Suddenly there was the sound of the door opening and he was faced with one of the largest black men he had ever seen. No wonder Mercedes had gone out with Shane Tinsley. He probably reminded her of her father. He had seen the family photograph many times, but as it was mostly a head shot, there had been no indication of the sheer size of the man. Arthur Jones was big man and his stare was beyond intimidating. He slowly stared Sam up and down for the longest moment, sizing him up before turning towards the stairs and shouting "He's here! Get your butt downstairs Mercedes!"

Sam was frozen to the spot, knowing that he should introduce himself but suddenly suffering from a mouth so parched it seemed like he'd spent the entire day in Death Valley without water.

"You have a name boy?" Mr Jones' deep booming voice went perfectly with his huge body. Sam wondered how the hell he made a living in dentistry where the clients would already be scared shitless as soon as they clapped eyes on him _before_ he even started pulling out drills and tools of torture!

"S-Sam. My name is Sam sir."

"Well S-Sam, you'd better come in so that I can take a proper look at you."

He held the door open and stood aside gesturing for Sam to come in, which he did, pretending that he had never been in his home before and allowed himself to be led into the lounge.

He stood, nervously clutching the flowers that he had brought Mercedes until Mr Jones impatiently indicated for him to take a seat. Sam slowly sat on one of the recliners, perched on the edge of the seat, resisting the urge to tap his left foot nervously against the floor.

"I have to admit, I had reservations about Mercedes going to prom with a boy, but when she said it would be one of the boys from her Glee club I felt a bit better. I thought it was going to be the boy in the chair with the soulful voice. You are a complete unknown to me."

"I first came to Lima last year. Then my family moved away and came back. We're originally from Tennessee."

"But you sing?"

"Yes sir." Sam couldn't help but feel that his reply had cause a big black mark to be put against his name.

"And why are you taking my daughter to prom?"

Sam blushed. How the hell was he supposed to answer that question? There was the honest answer, and the answer more suited to meeting your potential inlaws for the first time when they have no idea that they're your potential inlaws. His face burned and his mouth went from parched to sticky.

"Arthur, quit harassing the poor boy. He looked scared out of his wits!"

Sam looked up at he woman who had appeared at his side. She was the spitting image of an older version of Mercedes, she had the eyes, the curves and the smile. The only difference was that her hair was short. But it suited her beautifully. She broke out into a huge smile and he found himself instantly mesmerized, taking the hand that she offered. "Hi! I'm Gloria. Pleased to meet you."

"Sam... Pleased to meet you too. I can see where Mercedes gets her beauty."

She smiled at the complement while Arthur scowled. "And I can see why Mercedes has been so excited about getting ready today."

Their smiles were interrupted by Arthur's voice "I'm not sure about this Glory!"

Her response was simply to sigh and shake her head. "Please excuse my husband's rudeness. He hasn't even introduced himself properly to you. This is my husband, Arthur."

The glare got even darker. "That's _Mr Jones or Dr Jones _to you." He turned to his wife with a distressed facial expression. "He's blushing like a guilty person. I don't think we should leave tonight. I don't trust his intentions once he sees our girl all dressed up!"

Gloria turned and scowled at him. "Quit your fooling. He's blushing because you're asking him impossible questions!"

"You're just charmed by him and I know my baby girl will be too. I know how these guys operate. I used to be one of them myself!"

"He looks like a lovely young man to me!"

"He's just trying to win us over!"

_'And I'm still sitting right here' _thought Sam as he tried his best to make himself invisible.

"I don't know baby, i think maybe we shouldn't go away tonight..."

Gloria shot her husband a look of fire that he knew Mercedes had also inherited and he cowered internally for the poor man. "Arthur Jones, this is our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary and I fully intend to spend it in a luxury hotel spa with or without you!" She quickly spun on her heel and disappeared into the kitchen.

Sam raised the corner of his mouth into an imperceptable grin. _Yep. Definitely whipped! These Jones women were not to be messed with!_

He saw the precise moment when Mr Jones suddenly remembered that Sam was there and was caught helplessly between needing to run after his wife and grilling the boy who was taking out his daughter before he made the wiser decision and went after his wife.

Sam heaved a sigh of relief and slightly loosened the hold on the stems of the flowers he was holding, fearful that they would die a sudden death from the death grip with which he was holding them. He tried hard not to try and focus on the hushed voices coming from the kitchen.

"Mom?" Her voice suddenly filled the air and Gloria flew straight out of the kitchen and up to her baby. Arthur came out and stared at him without another word.

"She's ready!" Gloria exitedly bound down the steps two at a time so that she could be at the bottom of the stairs, poised with the camera as her daughter emerged.

Mercedes appeared at the top of the stairs. She looked beautiful. Stunning. A vison. The dress was purple as he imagined it would be, but what took him by surprise was the fact that it wasn't floor length. It was 1950s style and fell just below the knee. Sam took a moment just to take her in from top to bottom. As usual, her hair was flawless. She'd put in some kind of extra extensions so that now her hair reached the middle of her waist. It was a gorgeous cascade of loose curls and waves in black and dark brown, partially pinned up but mostly left loose. One side of draped down her face while the other was pinned behind her ear with a purple flower. Her makeup, as usual was flawless and the necklace that he had given her gleamed against her skin which she had matched with some silver swirley drop earrings.

The dress was perfection itself. It was off the shoulder with a sweetheart neckline exposing the soft skin at the tops of her shoulders and just a small amount of cleavage. The bodice was boned, forming the most perfect silhouette. The sleek fabric was decorated with small crystals which brought it to life. The dropped waist with a sash belt dropped into a full circle skirt that also had a smattering of crystals. The sheer out layer gave the dress an irridiscient sheen while the petticoat underneath exposed a small inch of netting from beneath the hem. The outfit was finished with a matching pair of killer heels, _those fuck me pumps from Marcus' party, _(Sam did a silent internal fist bump), a wrap and a clutch bag. The outfit fitted her curves to perfection and she looked ever part the vintage glamorous Hollywood siren.

The second she saw Sam she smiled and immediately started to head towards him, only to be stopped by her mom who wanted to take pictures of her on the top of the stairs. Mercedes immediately started posing, playing with her organza wrap and showing off her shoes while her pictures were taken. She tried to come down the stairs towards Sam but was again halted half way as her mom wanted pictures of her descent. Finally she made it to the bottom and Sam blushed, holding out the flowers to her.

"You look... wow!" He blushed because there were no words in the english language to describe just how stunning she looked.

"Thanks. " She accepted the flowers. "You're looking pretty hot yourself."

He looked down at his dark suit and matching purple tie and shrugged.

"Do you mind if I put these in water now? I don't think they'll survive the evening if I take them with me."

"Sure." She posed for a couple of photos with the flowers, then he watched her as she turned and headed into the kitchen, her skirt swishing like Marilyn Monroe. He was going to have to twirl her a lot this evening to get those legs on show!

"I don't like the way he's looking at her!" Arthur's voice was low but Sam could still hear him.

"Shut up!"

"I won't shut up. The boy's looking at her like she's an ice pop and he just wants to lick-"

_Okay and I am **still** standing right here..._

He discreetly shifted his eyes to Gloria who was fuming. "I seem to remember you having the self same expression on your face on our prom night."

He glowered back at his wife. "And we all know how _that _ended up don't we!"

"Arthur Jones you should be ashamed of yourself! Your daughter has just walked down the stairs looking amazing on one of the most special nights of her life and you spend the whole time bitching about a boy. You didn't even complement her on how she looks! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Realizing his mistake, he quickly followed Mercedes into the kitchen. The poor man was trying but he was clearly having a hard time of it.

"Let me take some pictures of you." Sam stood straight and smiled for a couple of shots before Mercedes emerged from the kitchen followed by her dad who was clutching the vase full of flowers

"Okay so I need some shots of the two of you together." Sam moved to stand next to her. He debated whether or not it would be acceptable for him to put his arm around her waist in a pose before meeting the glare of her father and deciding against it. He settled for standing close and smiling brightly as he was blinded by a series of flashes.

"OK mom, that's enough!" Mercedes finally waved her hand to indicated that she couldn't take anymore of the pictures and her mom reluctantly stopped playing paparazzi. "I just wanted to make sure you have a good record of tonight honey."

"And you do. There's enough footage and pics to make an entire documentary!"

"I know. But this night is special."

"And so is your anniversary which you're missing out on because of me! You guys need to go and have a relaxing time and I need to get going to prom. The guys will already be waiting for us in Breadstix."

Her mom looked reluctant to let her go but finally hugged her before releasing her with a smile. "Did you get your things for the sleepover?"

"Oh yeah. I'll just grab my bag!" Mercedes ran back up the stairs, leaving Sam alone with her parents yet again.

This time it was Gloria who was staring at him intently. "You know, I'm sure I haven't met you before but you look strangely familiar."

Sam shrugged. "I don't know where you would have seen me."

"Do you have brothers and sisters?"

"I have a younger brother and sister. Mercedes used to babysit them last summer. I guess people say Stevie looks a lot like me."

A look of recognition passed over her face. "Yes. That would be it. I met them a couple of times if I came early from work. Mrs Jackson from across the street - may she rest in peace - used to say that she kept seeing Mercedes with some blond kids last summer. She had a stroke and couldn't get out much so her entertainment was watching the street, imagining that this was Wisteria Lane."

Sam smiled, thankful that his mom loved Desperate Housewives and he was able to understand the reference. He also guiltily felt thankful that Mrs Jackson was no longer there to monitor the comings and goings at the Jones home when the parents weren't around.

"Samuel!"

Sam turned abruptly back towards the large man. It irked him to be called by his full name when he hadn't introduced himself as such but figured it was just another one of Mr Jones' intimidation techniques. "Sit down!"

Sam sat.

"Tonight is a big ask of you. I'm entrusting my baby girl into your hands and I don't do that with most people. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I wouldn't be happier if she were going with Artie, or that Tinsley boy, but the choice wasn't mine and at least you've come into my house and faced me so I know where to find you if you screw up."

Sam swallowed audibly and Gloria shot her husband yet another warning glare but he carried on undeterred. "I'm handing you a heavy responsibility. I'm not blind. I know my girl is pretty. She gets it from her mother." He smiled at Gloria and there was a defininite thaw in the chilly looks that she had been sending him. "And today, dressed up as she is, the whole world can see just how beautiful she really is." His tone changed and became harsher. "Now there will be boys who will see my baby girl looking beautiful and the only thoughts going through their heads will be ones of teenage lust. If they were to find out that she is home alone this weekend, their only thoughts will be of how they can seduce her and violate her!" Sam heard Gloria groan and from the corner of his eye he saw her facepalming. Arthur turned to face her. "What! You know it's true! I know how kids are these days!"

Sam didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He decided to give the man what he wanted.

He nodded earnestly. "I know what you mean sir. Especially the football jocks. They have a reputation."

"Exactly!" He shot his wife a triumphant look, having found an ally before pausing and narrowing his eyes at Sam again. "You're not one of these football players are you? You seem pretty sporty to me."

"No sir. I swim. We're a very calm level headed bunch. You have to be in the water."

Arthur looked thoughtful before nodding slowly. "Yes. That's good... You do understand that i'm just trying to protect my baby don't you?"

Sam leaned forward and looked him dead in the eye. "Yes of course. I have a baby sister and whenever the day comes that she has to go to prom and brings home a date i'll make sure that I give him hell too."

The answer seemed to go down well and he shot his wife another smug look before turning back to Sam with a glare. "I still don't like you, and I definitely don't like the way you stare at my daughter, but I have to admit, I feel better knowing that you're there protecting my girl from these football players who want to violate her."

"Don't worry sir. I'll make sure they all keep their hands off her." _That's because the only person doing any violating of Mercedes will be me! _He kept the man's straight stare and was thankful that he could not read minds.

"Sam we need to go. The table is booked for Breakstix in fifteen minutes." Mercedes had reappeared on the stairs and all eyes were back on her.

"Sure." Sam stood and offered his arm. "It's been a real pleasure meeting you folks!"

Gloria flashed them with one last unexpected picture. "You too. Look after our baby!"

"I will!"

Arthur simply growled. But the growl was not quite as harsh as before and Sam was happy to take whatever he was given. He was making it out of the house alive and that was plenty enough for him!

Sam bit back a smile as Mercedes made a show of putting her overnight bag in the trunk of her car before kissing her parents goodbye. "Have a lovely anniversay! I'll be fine so you don't need to worry about me!"

Sam just smiled, his mind preocupied by all the different positions in which he could violate their daughter when they returned to the house!

* * *

><p>Sam would have liked to go somewhere else but it seemed wrong to break with the tradition of going to Breadstix on the way to prom. Only this time it was different. He was going as part of a double date. Mercedes hadn't lied when she had said they were meeting others from Glee. She just failed to specify that the others would <em>only<em> be Mike and Tina.

"What are you smiling about?"

Sam hadn't realized he had been smiling until he saw Mercedes looking over at him as she drove into the parking lot. He decided to tell the truth. "I was thinking about how this would be our first double date and the thought made me happy." He thought back to the time just before he had moved to Kentucky when Mike had spoken to him about liking Mercedes and how he had very briefly allowed himself to indulge the thought of what it would be like to go out as four friends and two couples. And now he was about to find out. He knew they were up for a grilling but they had already agreed that most of their story was going to stay between themselves.

"The thought makes me happy too." She agreed as she parked up.

As far as double dates went, it went well, initial teasing giving way to the girls and boys having their own separate conversations. Sam knew that Mike had put together most of the pieces a while ago which is why he had been so forthright in pointing out Mercedes' change of heart. But Mike was solid so he didn't mind. Plus a guy like Mike would always keep him on the straight and narrow.

They watched as their girls chatted excitedly about prom. Tina had remained remarkably tear free during the meal and they were currently discussing how she had put together her teal floor length figure hugging dress with a sheer ripped black overlay which was the perfect combination of glamor and goth. They had both glared at Rachel who was wearing a terracotta colored fifties style dress. Luckily she didn't have the wow factor that Mercedes had and it was the totally wrong shade, making her skin appear washed out instead of glowing.

They had been ready for prom in the restaurant but the school parking lot was another matter. Sam had been staring at her plump juicy lips as she applied a fresh coating of gloss and despite questioning she refused to let him know what flavor it was so he had taken the opportunity to sample it for himself. Then he'd to keep right on sampling when he couldn't decide if it was strawberry or raspberry. And then he wasn't letting her lips go long enough to get an answer from her anyway.

It wasn't supposed to be a makeout session. After prom they would have all night to get truly reacquainted with each other. But one kiss led to another which led to another and before long there were moans and grabby hands.

"Sam! My dress!" With a sigh he released his hand from the zipper at the back of her dress. If he'd had his own way she would never have made it inside the building to prom, but the front seats of a car were not nearly comfortable enough for what he was wanting to do and the need to keep their clothing smart and straight was another extreme hindrance. With a second sigh he removed his tongue from her mouth, slowing down his kiss until it was a series of small innocent pecks on the lips, before finally finding a single remaining trace of gloss and taking her entire top lip into his mouth in order to remove it.

"Dammit Sam!"

"I know!" He rested his forehead on hers for a moment before pulling back and staring at her. She was breathing heavily, her pupils were dilated, her lips swollen and her hair disheveled. He internally rejoiced at the fact that the next time he saw her like this it would be when she was in the height of passion and there would be no fucking stick shift in the way of preventing him from having her screaming his name for the world to hear.

Well actually there would be a fucking stick…

"We have to get inside."

He reached for her lips again. "I know."

"Seriously Sam! You're performing on the opening song. Figgins is probably looking for you right now!"

Sam grumbled as he kissed the skin on her neck and exposed shoulder. "You're the fucking star but I'm the one who has to be on stage twice instead of getting to keep you in my arms on the dance floor!" He moaned to nobody in particular.

A huge bang to the side of the door made them both jump apart in time to see a bunch of jocks shouting, hollering and making rude sex gestures as then went past the car. "Fucking children" he moaned as he leaned back against the headrest of his passenger's seat. Mercedes shot him the side-eye, knowing very well that he used to be just the kind of guy to be doing that. She brushed her hand over his one final time and muttered as she assessed the damage to her hair and makeup in her rearview mirror. "Come on! I need to get to the bathroom to get straightened up before your performance!" Those words were finally enough for Sam to pull himself together and get going. He wasn't going to miss walking into prom hand in hand with Mercedes for the world!

Soon all the food was gone and Sam banged on the table happily "So who's ready for some prom?" he cried and they all linked hands over the table with a cheer.

* * *

><p>As a reprise from their cheese fest version of Friday at the previous prom, Sam was again up for the opening song of the night but this time the choice was theirs rather than one which was Figgins' idea of 'cool'. Therefore, they totally brought the house down with their version of Black Eyed Peas' I Got A Feeling. As the three boys worked the stage to screams from both guys and girls he struggled to see his girl in the audience. She had promised that as soon as she came back from the bathroom she would come to the front of the stage to be his number one groupie.<p>

As the song ended he started to feel panicked. _Where the hell was she? _ Puck and Artie were chatting excitedly about how the song had gone down but he couldn't focus on their words. As soon as he could he headed to the last direction he saw her going. As he turned the corner he saw her rushing towards him.

"Bitch!" The word followed her like an echo. Her response was a flick of the hair and a raise of the middle finger high. She didn't even bother to break her stride or turn her head.

As he held his arms out to her he bit his tongue, choosing to look behind her and see who the cause of the drama was and caught sight of Marcus rubbing his cheek with a furious expression on his face while Marie was trying and failing to soothe him.

"What's going on?" Sam's voice was a scowl as he enveloped his girl in his arms and she sank into him.

"It's fine Sam. Don't worry."

"How can I not worry!" He watched as Marie led Marcus away. "What did they say to you?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle."

It didn't help to calm his dark feelings but one look in her eyes told him she'd fought and won." And what did you say to them?"

She smirked. "Nothing that they haven't had coming for a long time now."

Sam clenched his jaw. He knew that Marcus had been relentless with his jibes in the hallway but it had never occurred to him that Mercedes may have been getting some stick too. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have-"

"You could have _what _Sam?" She tugged at his shirt to hold him back as he attempted to go after the other couple.

"But I can-"

She reached up onto tiptoes and planted the tiniest kiss on his cheek. "You can but you don't have to and I don't want you to."

He looked down into her brown eyes and couldn't help but feel slightly emasculated. Why shouldn't he fight for his woman? "Why not?"

She smiled up at him and brushed a nonexistent fleck of dust from his shirt. "Because I don't need you to. I was fighting my own battles before you came along."

"But now I'm here."

"Yes. Now you're here. But it doesn't mean you get fight my battles for me. It means I still fight my battles, but at least now I know that if I need it, I just have to say the word and you'll be there to fight right alongside me."

It was a hard point to accept but he couldn't fault her reasoning so he just held her tight.

"Skinny bitch is too much of a coward to push me far enough for me to actually make me hit her" muttered Mercedes, "But Marcus just crossed a line and I'm not afraid of him. As far as I'm concerned they deserve each other!"

Sam smiled down at her. "They do deserve each other. But I don't deserve you."

"Damn right you don't!" She grinned and wriggled out of his embrace. "That's why I'm going to make you work for it every day!"

Sam grinned back, happy that he had successfully avoided a potentially stressful situation. "Hey, I was fishing for a complement, not an insult!"

"Then you tried it on the wrong person Sam!" She sighed. "But I'm sorry I missed your performance. From all the screaming it sounds like it went down well."

"It did. And I'll forgive you for missing it provided you're front and center for my next performance."

"I promise."

He leaned forward. "Sealed with a kiss?"

She shook her head and pulled back. "Your kisses are what made me end up at the bathroom in the first place so no more of those!" He pouted as she held out her hand with her little finger "Pinkie promise."

_Damned cheek! _"Okay. Pinkie promise. But kisses later?"

She smiled up at him sexily as he led her back down to the gym. "Definitely kisses later…"

* * *

><p><strong><em>Okay, so i'm leaving it here for now but 2k of the next chapter is already done. There's songs and obviously just a tad of smut... Lol!<em>**


	20. Prom Part 2

**_FINAL CHAPTER FOR REAL!_**

**_(I swear at one point I thought I would never see this day!)_**

**_I just want to thank each and every reader for giving my work the time of day with special thanks to those who fave/followed and extra special thanks for those who reviewed (coz I'm a total hypocrite and am totally bad at doing it myself which makes you all the more awesome for still doing it anyway!) But seriously, it's the support from you Samcedes readers that have made this go from a oneshot to a two volumed novel. Plus you've pushed me out of my writing comfort zone and made me write new stuff like humour and angst._**

**_I had great fun writing this so I hope you enjoy it!_**

* * *

><p>Sam smiled out at the crowd as came back on the stage, this time with Rory, Puck and Mike. All their secret rehearsals had led up to this moment. Looking out into the crowd he saw Mercedes being pushed through the crowd towards the stage. Front and center, where she always should be. But this time he didn't have any nerves about the possible reception to his performance. Yet again, Santana and Brittany had ensured that she was in the optimum viewing spot and once she was there he shot her a grin before grasping the microphone.<p>

The boys all took their places on the stage.

"Hey McKinley. Prom 2012 ROCKS!" Sam fistbumped the air and was rewarded with a healthy scream from the audience. "Right now this song is dedicated to all the ladies on the floor tonight, coz we know you made a lot off effort and the results are that you're all looking _fine_!" There were a number of giggles and catcalls from the crowd. "But my own special dedication of this song is for my beautiful girl Mercedes. Just listen to the words because I can't tell you enough." He blew her a kiss which she pretended to catch and laughed at all the jealous stares she received from the other girls.

Turning to the band he told them to _hit it!_

Without taking his eyes off Mercedes he began to sing.

_You're insecure, Don't know what for,  
>You're turning heads when you walk through the door,<br>Don't need make-up, To cover up,  
>Being the way that you are is enough,<em>

_Everyone else in the room can see it,  
>Everyone else but you,<em>

The other three boys crowded around him and all four of them began to jump to the chorus like a boy band:

**_Baby you light up my world like nobody else,  
>The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed,<br>But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell,  
>You don't know, Oh oh, You don't know you're beautiful!<em>**

**_If only you saw what I can see, You'll understand why I want you so desperately,  
>Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe,<br>You don't know, Oh oh, You don't know you're beautiful,  
>Oh oh, That's what makes you beautiful!<em>**

Collectively the boys worked the stage, earning extra loud screams from the crowd. Sam saw that Tina had worked her way to stand next to Mercedes and was watching Mike through her fingers as he did a series of body rolls, each getting progressively lower and lower towards the ground. There was no mistaking the boy was flexible.

Puck took the next few lines, scouring the crowd for Quinn before singing directly to her after catching her eyes:

_So c-come on, You got it wrong, To prove I'm right, I put it in a song,  
>I don't know why, You're being shy, And turn away when I look into your eye eye eyes,<em>

_Everyone else in the room can see it, Everyone else but you,_

Then they all got together for the chorus again, pointing their fingers to girls in the audience. But Sam's eyes and fingers only went to one girl. His girl. Mercedes.

**_Baby you light up my world like nobody else,  
>The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed,<br>But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell,  
>You don't know, Oh oh, You don't know you're beautiful!<em>**

**_ If only you saw what I can see,  
>You'll understand why I want you so desperately,<br>Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe, You don't know, Oh oh,  
>You don't know you're beautiful,<br>Oh oh, That's what makes you beautiful_**

**_Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na NaNa Na Na Na Na Na [x2]_**

As he sang, Sam thought about the lyrics and knew that every single word he was singing was true. Stepping forward he again smiled directly at Mercedes as the music softened.

_Baby you light up my world like nobody else,  
>The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed,<br>But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell,  
>You don't know,Oh oh,You don't know you're beautiful!<em>

By the time Sam found his way over to her she had dried the tears from her eyes but he could still tell that they had been there. "Hey there beautiful." He swept her into his arms for the dance, swaying her in time to Tina's sweet and slow ballad.

She settled her head into his chest and listened to his heartbeat. "I guess it was a good decision of mine to wear your necklace tonight."

"Yep. It was inspired."

"I still can't believe that you put me on shoutout at the beginning of the song!"

He lifted her chin so that her eyes met his. "Why not? I told you I wanted to shout about us to the world. And just in case there was anybody who missed out make out session in the hallway that got so rudely interrupted by Sue Sylvester, I am marking you as mine." He placed a small kiss on her lips. "Besides, me and your dad, we had a little chat tonight and I promised I'd keep all the football jocks away from you!"

She groaned. "My dad has this obsession that all football jocks are the devil's spawn, only after one thing."

"I was a football jock last summer."

"Case in point!"

He spun her out then pulled her back in before dipping her gently. "Thankfully I'm not a football jock now. I think that impressed him more than anything."

"My dad's crazy. He thinks that all jocks are sex obsessed because that's what he and his friends were like while they were on the team. Before he got together with my mom that is."

"Well he does have a point, they mostly are a bunch of knuckleheads, Marcus being the number one douche out of them all. But I guess your dad and your mom are proof that people change. And hopefully I'm proof of that too!"

"Yep. You definitely are. And my dad _will_ come round you know. He's all bark and no bite really."

Sam shot her a skeptical look. "His bark is scary enough for me thankyou very much!"

She grinned. "Just keep your hands to yourself, your eyes in your head and your tongue in your mouth when he's around and I'm sure you'll be fine."

He nuzzled her neck as the song ended and another began. "You make it sound so easy. It's so fucking hard to keep away from you!"

Mercedes pulled his head back into an upright position before restoring her arms back around his waist. "You just have to try harder. It'll be worth it in the long run!"

"I sure as hell hope so!" He slid his hands down to her hips and enjoyed the rest of the slow dance in comfortable silence.

* * *

><p>Mercedes strode onto the stage as if she owned it. Because she did. His girl was going to be a star one day. They would be seeing her name in lights! Sam thought back to the day that he had put her name in lights the blushed furiously when he remembered what they had ended up doing in the band pit.<p>

She reached for the microphone stand and was flanked by Brittany and Santana who had microphones of their own set slightly back and to either side of her.

The Troubletones. Sam grinned and nodded slowly, knowing that whatever he was about to hear was going to be fantastic.

She didn't say anything to introduce the song. Instead she just scanned the crowd until she locked eyes with Sam. Once she did, she puckered her lips in a kiss and gave him a most definite wink. Then she turned to the band.

_Bring the beat in!_

Her dress began to swish as she swayed in front of her microphone, to the introduction, totally in synch with the other girls like a 1970s girl group.

_Honey, honey, I can see the stars all the way from here  
>Can't you see the glow on the window pane?<br>I can feel the sun whenever you're near  
>Every time you touch me I just melt away<em>

She flicked her hair and gripped the microphone tightly, keeping her eyes trained on Sam as she sang the next lines with the girls backing.

_Everybody asks me why I'm smiling out from ear to ear **(They say love hurts)**  
>But I know <strong>(It's gonna take a little work)<strong>  
>Nothing's perfect, but it's worth it after fighting through my fears<br>And finally you put me first_

_Baby it's you...  
>You're the one I love.<br>You're the one I need…  
>You're the only one I see.<em>

While Mercedes pointed directly to Sam as she sang the words 'baby it's you', Santana and Brittany pointed to each other and smilingly walked towards each other before walking around each other and returning to the place where the other had stood, using the opposite microphone.

_Come on baby it's you…  
>You're the one that gives your all.<br>You're the one I can always call.  
>When I need you make everything stop-<br>Finally you put my love on top._

All three turned to the right and did a synchronized body roll before shimmying.

_Ooo! Come on put my love on top, top, top, top, top._

The trio looked hot. Every swing of the hips, kick of the legs and flick of the hair was in synch. The performance was flawless. And Mercedes killed it with the vocals.

_You put my love on Ooo! Come on baby.  
>You put my love on top, top, top, top, love on love on top.<em>

_Everybody asks me why I'm smiling out from ear to ear **(They say love hurts)**  
>But I know <strong>(It's gonna take a little work)<strong>  
>Nothing's perfect, but it's worth it after fighting through my fears And finally you put me first<em>

_Baby it's you...  
>You're the one I love.<br>You're the one I need…  
>You're the only one I see.<em>

Mercedes took the microphone from the stand and stepped forward to the edge of the stage, still singing her heart out, eyes still trained on Sam who was singing the words right back at her.

_Baby it's you... You're the one I love.  
>You're the one I need…<br>You're the only one I see.  
>Come on baby it's you…<br>You're the one that gives your all. You're the one I can always call.  
>When I need you make everything stop-<br>Finally you put my love on top!_

With each progressive key change and rise in the chorus her voice got louder and stronger as did Santana and Brittany who also took their mikes and stood behind their diva to sway in time and back her up.

It was a performance that blew the entire crowd away. Sam almost felt sorry for Rachel who was following up with some solo ballad that nobody was listening to, leaving her with that awkward moment when everyone uses your song to stop dancing and go get a drink.

As soon as she appeared from backstage he was there. "Mercedes that was… you were…"

She smiled up at him shyly. "Thanks." She reached up to kiss him gently. "That song was all for you, you know."

"I know. All about the _finally! _But I got there in the end!"

Mercedes laughed quietly. "_We_ got there in the end."

The rest of prom flew by in a whirlwind. Sam and Mercedes danced. Slow dances and fast dances, serious dances and stupid ones. Neither of them danced with anyone else all night despite people constantly attempting to cut in. This night was theirs. A new beginning. Other times would be for sharing. This was not one of them.

"So did you have a good prom?"

It was the final dance and Sam was holding her close in his arms. He felt rather than saw her nodding.

"It's been amazing. Better than I ever could have imagined."

"I'm glad. I'm just so happy that it all worked out in time."

"So am I." He felt Mercedes' head move and she became quiet. Following the line of her gaze he saw her looking over at Shane who was locked in a slow dance with Jordana, head and shoulders above most of the crowd but in their own world.

"They look happy. I'm so glad." Mercedes gave them a small wave and when they finally noticed they waved back. Shane nodded at Sam and he nodded back. It was a small gesture and they were by no means on any kind of speaking terms but it still meant a lot to the girls that they were with.

As they joined the queue for their official prom photo, Puck and Quinn slipped in beside them, all smiles. Mercedes immediately pulled her friend into an embrace. "So I take it you guys are finally together then?"

Quinn nodded with a smile. "We've decided to give it a try. Things with Joe seemed forced but with Puck... It's so different! And he's changed into a better, more mature person too. We've not no idea where this is going, but we can't ignore the way that we feel about each other and if we get this to work, maybe one day we'll get to be a proper family with Beth too."

"I'm really proud of you both. This year's been a big year of change for all of us." Mercedes' voice was reflective and they all took a moment to think about what they had been through. Sam took her hand and Puck pulled Quinn in close and kissed the top of her head. He had even shaved off that stupid overgrown Mohawk and was looking even more handsome than ever.

"And I'm glad you guys have finally got it together too! I'm sick of calling Sam out for staring after your ass and shooting you looks with x-ray vision. He's had it bad for a really long time now." Puck smiled one of his sincere smiles that made his eyes crinkle.

Quinn reached over and touched Sam's arm. "Look after my sister Sam."

He looked at her with a genuine expression. "I will Quinn. I promise. Just make sure that you look after Puck!"

The former badboy held his hands open in mock amazement. "Hey man! The Puckasaurus can look after himself!"

Three sets of eyes rolled and four voices rang out with laughter.

* * *

><p>If felt like they were never going to get out of their high school gym but finally they did.<p>

The car ride back to the Jones house was silent. Sam had taken off his tie and undone to top buttons of his shirt but was still feeling like his body temperature was a million degrees. Both of them were focused on what was going to happen when they got inside. Both too scared to even touch each other in case they ravaged each other too soon, even before making it through the front door.

It took an age for Mercedes to get the keys from her bag and work the locks. When she finally pushed the door open Sam stopped her form stepping inside.

"I'm going to do this properly!" Before she even had a chance to question what he was about to do, he had swept her up into his arms and was carrying her bridal style over the threshold.

"Sam! What are you doing?" Her voice was protesting but her mouth was a smile and her arms remained firmly around his neck.

"Just shut up and enjoy it!" he growled. Shutting the door with his foot he quickly slid the locks and sprinted up the stairs with her.

"Sam!" She tightened her arms around him in fear as he bounded up the stairs two at a time with her. "I'm too-"

"Stop worrying Cedes. You're not heavy. You're perfect!"

Within moments he had reached her room, pushed the door open and literally flung her onto the bed, landing heavily beside her as he did so before wasting no time in attacking her with his lips. He'd waited far too long for this and wasn't going to wait another second. She kissed him back with passion, opening his mouth to receive his tongue as she used her hands to start pushing his jacket from off his shoulders.

He helped her by wriggling the sleeves off before trapping her again, kissing her deeply as one hand ran up her legs beneath the skirt of the dress while the other went for the zipper at the back. It was all going well before he suddenly felt her pushing him away.

"What's wrong?"

"This dress… I know you'll ruin it." Somehow she managed to push him off her and stood next to the bed, straining to reach the zipper at the back of her dress.

"Need a hand with that?" Within seconds his face was buried in her neck, his teeth and tongue causing her brain to short circuit as he slowly undid the zipper and eased the dress off her shoulders, allowing it to fall in a pool of glimmering purple around her ankles.

He took in the sight of her in the matching strapless bra and pantie set in black. The bra was both beautiful and efficient, allowing her to dance the night away without worry under the dress, with enough lace to leave the tantalizingly dark areolas on view through them. Both the bra and the panties had a tiny purple bow at the front which matched her dress. The Mercedes touch.

For a moment Sam just stood and stared as Mercedes stood in the middle of the pool of purple fabric. His palms were sweaty and his mouth was dry. He'd been with so many girls but right now he felt like a virgin undressing a girl for the very first time and being in awe of what was revealed. This was the girl he loved – scratch that – the _woman_ he loved.

Just as he started to let out a low whistle of appreciation he noticed her moving her arms to cross them against her stomach. He reached out and took both of her hands before speaking softly. "Hey, what did I tell you about trying to cover yourself? Every inch of you is beautiful Mercedes. And I love every inch of your perfection." She looked up at him shyly as he took a step back, still holding on to her hands so that he could get a better view of her. "This is the body I've been dreaming of for months. Get used to me appreciating it!"

He took another step back then pulled her towards him, forcing her to step away from the dress. Wrapping his arms around her he stroked her silky exposed skin, running his hands down her sides and over her hips. "I'm telling you baby, this right here is what I want. And it's all that I'm ever going to want." He brought one hand to stroke her stomach while the other now cupped one breast. "Don't ever feel like you need to compare yourself to others. If you're ever feeling low about yourself just remember us right here right now. You're the cream baby, and now that I've had a taste of you I ain't ever gonna go back to skimmed milk."

Choking back a sob she reached up, circling her arms around his neck and bringing his face down for a kiss. It was frantic yet sensual, intense yet tender. And it spoke more than a thousand volumes. They didn't care that their lips made smacking noises. There would be another type of smacking noise soon to come that would drown out these.

He gently walked her backwards until her knees met the edge of the bed and she sat. "I need to hang up my dress!"

"Fuck the dress. I know you. You're only going to take it to the cleaners. They won't care about a couple of wrinkles!" He reached for the clasp of her bra and she pushed his hand away, reaching for his chest instead. "No. Not fair. You're still wearing far too much clothing compared to me!"

He stepped back and smiled at her. "Your wish is my command M'lady!"

She shook her head at his fake English accent while he slowly began to unbutton his shirt. After the first couple he added a few body rolls before ripping it wide open.

"Sam!"

He grinned. "Hey, it just occurred to me that you never got to see me in Stallionz, so I figured I'd bring a little bit of a private show back to you! "

He put on a husky voice as he began to sing "_If you want my money, and you think I'm sexy, come on sugar let me know!" _Sam gyrated his hips as he reached for his belt while his girlfriend side-eyed him.

"What the hell are you singing?"

"It's Rod Stewart! This song is great to strip to!"

She held her hand up in a signal for him to stop. "Please Sam. Don't! You're killing it, but not in a good way!"

He tried to charm her with his smile. "I know there were a lot of women in Kentucky who were impressed."

"I'm sure they were Sam. Maybe you just had to be there... In that atmosphere. I mean, the shirt ripping, yeah that's hot, but the rest… definitely a hot mess. Probably because I can't take you seriously while you're providing your own soundtrack."

"Okay… think you can do better?"

She nodded. "Come here and let me strip you!"

Sam shrugged. Hell, as long as he ended up naked, it was all good to him! He went over and stood between her legs, groaning as she kissed her way down his abs while loosening his belt. She took her time, working her way over every ridge and ripple until he had to impatiently guide her hand to speed up her disposal of his pants while he kicked off his shoes. Sliding down his boxers she eyed his erection hungrily.

He hadn't wanted her to go down on him, tonight was all about her, but before he knew it her hand was around his base and his tip was in her hot mouth.

"Shit!" It felt so good. Way better than in any of his frequent fantasies. He tried to stop her but her mouth just kept taking him in deeper and deeper and before he knew it his hips were in a rhythm with her head and his hands were on her shoulders trying desperately not to jerk her too hard as he felt control slipping away from him.

"Baby!" He was feeling that familiar swirling in the pit of his stomach and knew this had to end before _he_ ended. Stepping back from her, his cock slipped out of her mouth with a slight popping sound and he saw the disappointment on her face. "We've got all night sugar. Let me take care of you first." Reaching back he expertly unclasped her bra and released her breasts, flinging the garment to wherever it would land. Pushing her back gently to lean on the bed he played homage to them, old friends very much missed. He worked them with his mouth and hands, bringing the nipples stiff to attention and filling his hands with their weight. "You're all woman Mercedes. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You're real and natural and everything a man desires." She had no words to reply but continued sweeping through his hair with her fingers.

With a sigh he reluctantly moved away from her breasts and planted a small kiss on her lips. "Scooch up baby! I want you lying on your back for what I've got planned next!"

She grinned and began to move backwards before remembering she still had the shoes on. As she leaned forward to unbuckle one he stopped her. "Those babies stay right where they are."

She looked at him, contemplating it briefly before shaking her head. "These shoes are not going on my bed Sam. That's disgusting!" Catching sight of Sam's disappointed expression she rushed to compromise. "But… seeing as you like the shoes so much… maybe I can model them for you in the lounge tomorrow?"

Sam huffed but knew this was not the time to push for his own way, so instead, he kissed down her calves and insisted on removing them himself before smiling back up at her. "Now scooch!"

This time she did and within seconds he was faced with the sight of Mercedes Jones, spread out on the middle of her bed wearing nothing but her black lace panties and a smile, the scent of her arousal already reaching his nose.

Dammit she looked beautiful!

He crawled to kneel before her, kissing his way down her sternum to her soft belly button. He knew it would tickle her but he did it anyway. Sometimes he used to blow a raspberry on it. She thought it was to make her laugh but it was only partly true. It was also guaranteed to get her to open her legs too.

Knowing he had all the time in the world and needing to calm himself from her awesome blow job he lay down next to her, kissing her lips while sliding his hand down her belly and into her panties to find that it was already a hot sticky mess in there. She wrapped her arms around him as he began to play with her outer pussy lips, teasing and tormenting her when he really knew where she wanted to be touched. He took his time with his stokes and caresses, building her up slowly, avoiding her clit but playing with her hole, lightly dipping his fingers in and out of her while swallowing her moans.

"Please Sam…"

She asked politely so who was he to deny? Raising himself up he slipped back down between her legs and kissed his way up her inner thigh. Once he got to the place that made all his dreams come true, he spread her outer lips with his fingers before sucking her clit through the fabric of her panties.

"Sam!"

He lifted his head and looked up at her. "Yes dear!"

"Just-"

"Do you want me to get rid of these?" He fingered the elastic.

"Uh huh!"

"Consider it done!"

She lifted her hips for him to roll them off but he ripped the fabric from her in one quick move before casting it aside.

"Sam! That was part of a set!"

"I'll buy you another one, hell I'll buy you another five!"

"Oooh…"

He'd wasted no time putting his tongue to work, taking a long swipe along her slit before licking and dipping into her entrance. Throwing one of her legs over his shoulder in an attempt to steady her writhing hips he got to work exploring her with his mouth, alternating between teasing her hole and playing with her clit.

Her nails clawed at his scalp as he worked his mouth before humming the Rod Stewart song again, the vibration driving her crazy.

"Oh my – Sam!"

He lifted his face and grinned up at her. "Oh yeah. Now you like the song all of a sudden huh!"

Sam continued to lap her up, dipping hooked fingers expertly into her hole, knowing exactly where he needed to be hitting for maximum sensation while she made unintelligible sounds above him. When he felt her reaching her peak he eased up, ignoring her mewls of frustration as he reached down to her bottom drawer for his stash before kissing her with her juices still on his lips.

"You know I'm on the pill now, right?"

"I know. But I want to keep you extra safe." He threw and handful of the golden packets on top of the bedside table. "The pill can be our backup if there's any accidents or we recklessly forget like we did once. But for the rest of the time it's still a good habit to keep. I like to know I'm keeping you safe." He kissed her deeply, relishing the roughness of her tongue against his before tracing his mouth along her jaw. "Besides, I intend to come inside you several times this weekend, and I'm not sure there's a pill strong enough to fight all the cum that would be lining your insides if we didn't use something else."

He saw her smile and her mouth open to form a protest but he kissed any response right out of her.

"Well in that case, at least let me put it on you."

That was a mistake. A huge mistake.

She kissed and teased him as she put on the condom, bringing him so close to the brink that he had to push her away before the condom got wasted. "Mercedes stop! Much as I love you, you're killing me right now!"

She grinned. "You love me?"

He bent down and kissed her sweetly. "I will always love you."

"Well in that case, I will always love you too aaah…" He slipped fingers into her slipperiness again as he climbed back between her legs and lined herself up with her entrance. After wiping his tip in her cream a couple of times he stared straight into her eyes as he pushed himself slowly into her.

Sam felt her fall apart as soon as he was fully inside her, her tightness throwing them both off kilter. A garbled sound came from her throat and her body arched as her walls spasmed around him. Determined to keep her pleasure coming as long as possible he began to thrust but immediately knew something was wrong. Hard as he tried he just couldn't keep it together. With the very first thrust he knew that he was going to cum and by the third he had already started to shoot into the condom.

_Epic failiure!_

_This had NEVER happened to him before!_

The force of his orgasm caused him to grunt and curse against her neck as she lay back, recovering herself. After a moment her breathing slowed and she began to giggle softly.

A flash of anger flowed through him, his now only semi hard erection twitching inside her as even felt the pressure of her laughter _there_ seeing as he had not yet withdrawn. "Shhh…" She quickly kissed his cheek gently. "Calm down."

"But that's never hap-"

"I'm laughing with you, not at you." She moved to place kisses on his lips. "I'm in no position to laugh at you! I came even faster than you did!" Relieved that she wasn't mad he felt calmer but still humiliated.

"Yeah but it's different for you! I was supposed to-"

"Hush Sam. You gave me an amazing orgasm. Just quit while you're ahead!" She reached down with her hand and began to massage his balls. He instantly felt himself begin to harden even more inside her. She flipped them so that they were side to side and she could wrap her leg more tightly around him. "What just happened, we will never speak of again, but let it be a lesson to you, _never_ to withhold sex from me for extended periods of time then work us up into a frenzy. It's just not good for your health!"

"Oh really?" He arched one eyebrow.

"Yeah really!"

She smirked at him and he rapidly wiped the smirk off her face with a series of intense kisses while reaching down to massage her clit as she massaged him. Before long she was moving her hips as he continued to harden but he had to push her pack and pull out. Mercedes frowned at the break in contact just as things were starting to get good again.

Sam waved another gold packet in front of her. "Gotta change the condom first. I promised I wouldn't be careless with you." Knowing Mercedes' offer to help would only make things more difficult he put it on by himself while she lay back, stroking herself as she watched him. It was a sight that always turned him on, to watch her fingers disappearing then reappearing, stickier and stickier each time.

Crawling between her legs, he quickly leaned forward taking one of her nipples into his mouth, and relishing the sound of her small gasp as he started to suck and lightly nibble while he stroked and flicked at the other with his hand. He knew that it was entirely possible to make her orgasm purely through breast play, but he didn't have the patience for that right now. Bringing his mouth back up her body his kissed underneath her jaw before growling "Turn over baby."

With a giggle indicating she knew what was coming, she did as she was told and he let out a second growl of appreciation as he saw her ass laid out before him. Oh how he had missed this! Taking a cheek in each hand he patiently peppered them with kisses until she let out a mew of frustration.

He worked his way back up her body, planting a trail of kisses along the grove of her spine until his face was pressed into her neck and his front was pressed into her back. Giving her ass a quick slap he whispered in her ear "Missed this?"

"Fuck yes!"

"Me too. Never again baby. This body…" He wrapped his arms lovingly around her "… this body is a temple that I intend to worship at on the regular. He adjusted himself so that his legs were between hers and she bent her knees, locking her feet behind his calves.

His right hand moved back down to her clit and she raised her hips to accommodate him, moaning at his touch and growing impatient for his reentry. This time he did not keep her waiting any longer. Raising her hips slightly higher and adjusting the angle for comfort he slowly entered her pussy from behind. They both sighed at the feeling of tightness and fullness that overcame them. And this time, as he began to move, Sam was determined to last. He kept his strokes measured and regular, deep but not too forceful. It was all about the sensation. All about the feel of him sliding all the way in then all the way out until only his tip remained inside her. He wanted to feel every muscle inside her and he wanted her to feel every inch of him. The feel of her soft hips and ass against his belly was like heaven itself.

He tried to keep up the leisurely pace, to make love rather than have sex, but Mercedes was taking control form underneath him. She had widened her legs and bent them at the knee so that her feet were now pointing up into the air. With every thrust he made she was now matching it with a movement of her hips, making it more forceful. She turned her face to the side and he leaded forward to kiss her .

"What do you want baby?"

"More."

He thrust deeper, feeling himself hitting her spot.

"How do you want it?"

"Faster!"

He quickened the pace and she arched even more, her soft grunts in rhythm with his thrusts.

"Harder!" Never one to deny a lady he gave her what she wanted, hearing the now familiar creak of the bed as he drove into her softness. With one hand her grabbed hers, interlocking their fingers together, while the other found her clit, flicking it while pulling their bodies closer together.

"I'm coming…"

"Just let it!"

"Saaaaam…" she bucked against his hips and he gently lowered her until she was back lying flat against the bed, thrusting into her a few more times before he saw stars himself.

He collapsed alongside her, slowly rubbing the base of her spine as they both came down and immediately slipped into a fitful doze.

* * *

><p>He could hear her smiling. He knew that didn't make sense but he could have sworn that he did. Opening his eyes he saw Mercedes smiling down at him. Her face illuminated by the moonlight and her hair was tied back. She was sipping from a glass of water. Just the sight of it made him lick his lips, which until that moment, he hadn't even realized were so parched.<p>

She handed him the glass. "I woke up because I was thirsty. And I figured you probably would be too after our _exercise_ so I brought this glass up for you."

He scooched himself up until he was leaning with his head and shoulders up against the headboard before accepting the glass and drinking it down immediately. She was right. He definitely needed it.

"What time is it?" He had tried to look at the numbers on her alarm clock but all he could see was a random glow.

"Two thirty am."

They hadn't been asleep for long but the way that she had taken the empty glass from him and placed it on the bedside table before grabbing another of his foil packets and straddling his lap ensured that he wasn't going to be falling back asleep anytime soon.

She leaned forward, her heavy breasts grazing his chest as she captured his lips in a passionate kiss. "You didn't think I was finished with you already, did you?"

He was already hard from the moment he had opened his eyes and seen her and now her fingertips were lightly brushing the length of his cock as lit lay across his belly. Not to be outdone, he pulled her closer, pressing her chest against his. "Baby, I'm not going to let you sleep til there's daylight outside!"

"That's good to hear." She ripped the corner of the condom wrapper open and quickly rolled it onto his length. "Because I was thinking the same thing about you!" Laying his covered cock back along his belly she raised herself up slightly and swung her hips, rubbing her sticky womanhood against his length. Sam thought he was going to die from the sensation.

He struggled to find words but finally managed to croak out something along the lines of "What are you doing?"

She smirked. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

Sam couldn't formulate an answer. He just watched from his perfect angle as she raised her hips higher this time before lifting his cock and guiding it into her hot wet slippery tightness, hissing as she slowly slid down his entire length before resting against his hips. She didn't move for a moment and he watched her facial expression as she adjusted to the fullness once again. Finally she opened her eyes and stared straight into his. "I'll tell you what I'm doing. Earlier I sang a song about putting my love on top. Now I'm doing it for real!"

It was a corny joke but he was too turned on to be able to laugh.

He could only lie back and enjoy it as she began to rock her hips against his, slowly grinding and gathering her pace before moving her way up and down his length. He grabbed at her hips, watching her open mouth and the steady movements of her breasts as she took it at a gentle pace before finding her own rhythm. This was the first time that she had ridden him completely naked and it didn't escape his notice that this was a big leap for her. Deciding to let her have her fun for the time being, he lay back, alternating between caressing her hips and gripping her ass as she moved on him causing small groans to escape him. Soon her movements got bigger. She was now bouncing up and down his length and twerking her ass, causing that tugging sensation he loved so much. Now she was making him lose control. He reached forward and grabbed her towards his chest, pulling her into an embrace and kissing her as he began to thrust upwards and move his hips taking over control from her and intensifying the pace and their pleasure.

The room quickly filled with the sound of their groans and the sound of their flesh noisily slapping together. His kisses became more and more desperate and urgent as he squeezed her chest against his until suddenly it became too much. Without breaking lip contact he suddenly flipped them both over and thrust into her harder still from above. Resting on his forearms to take his weight and give him a better angle, he allowed her to adjust her hips, raise her bent knees and point her toes to the sky as he began to drive into her with abandon.

Feeling her begin to quiver and shake beneath him, he knew that they were definitely in for a long night…

* * *

><p>Sam must have been in the deepest of sleeps because by the time he felt the bed shift and tried to hold tight on to Mercedes to prevent her from leaving she was already on her feet. He opened one eye and pouted, puckering his lips for a kiss and she grinned, shaking her head. "I know you'll only pull me back onto the bed and I really need the bathroom. I'll be back before you know it!"<p>

He sighed, sad to see her go but totally enjoying the view as she left while experiencing the familiar stirring that her walk always generated. There would be no more sleep now.

With a groan he rolled over and dangled his body over the side of the bed, stretching out his fingertips until he reached his discarded jacket and retrieved his cellphone. By the time he had sent texts to both his mom to assure her that he was safe, had enjoyed prom, and would not be home for several hours yet as well as messaging Mike to say, with a winking face, that he would not be able to meet up for a gaming session that afternoon, Mercedes had returned.

"Who are you texting?"

"Just my mom and Mike."

"Shit! I'd better check in with my parents too!"

Sam was hypnotized by her breasts as she bent over her discarded clutch to retrieve her phone. As she slid back into bed next to him a random idea popped into his head and he began typing.

**Morning babe. I missed you!**

He hit send and within a second her phone buzzed. She turned to him and rolled her eyes. "Seriously Sam? I was gone for like one minute!"

Staying silent he tapped away again at his screen.

**Oel ngati kameie**

With a sigh she pecked a small kiss on his cheek. "I see you too. Now let me finish my message!"

**Nga yawne lu oer**

She grinned at the screen but this time refused to look at him before she finished sending her message and tossed her phone out of harm's way. He used the opportunity to capture her wrist and pull her flush against him, feeling the heat radiating from her naked body.

Leaning forward, Mercedes planted a soft kiss on his lips. "It's a damned good I job I feel the same way about you. I have no idea why it is that I love you coz you're nothing but a fool Sam Evans!"

He flipped her back gently so that he could nestle his body between her legs, letting her feel exactly what was going on down below and giving her a silent promise of what was about to happen shortly. "I seem to recall many a song has been written about fools falling in love so yeah, maybe I am."

"Are you just trying to impress me?"

"Always."

"And what makes you think you know what will impress me?"

He looked at her seriously. "Because I spent so long getting it wrong that it means whatever's left has to be right."

Mercedes raised her eyebrow. "You really think so?"

"I _know_ so. Arrogant swagger Sam has left the building!" He leaned forward and nibbled on her earlobe, making her giggle. "But don't worry because he definitely left his partner, Mr super sex machine behind to take his place. And that's not even the best part. You wanna know what the best part is? "

"I'm sure you're going to tell me without asking."

Sam shot her his most dazzling smile. "Yeah, well… you know that really cute, adorkable Avatar obsessed, fried chicken eating boy called Sam that you used to tutor last year and who you totally developed a thing for?"

"Yeah. What about him?"

Sam wiggled his eyebrows as he pressed in closer and cupped her ass. "_I'm back!_"

* * *

><p>THE END<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>OMG! It's done. For real this time! There will be no sequels, this story is officially finished! (Read that as I'm sick of writing about American High School and pretending as if I know what i'm talking about!) Hope the ending was satisfactory and there was enough smut to go around. I kind of dragged this out so long that when it came to it I was scared I wouldn't be able to deliver.<strong>_

_**I'm working on another Samcedes idea. Something different, something AU. If I ever revisit this (Infernal Question) story arc in the future (and that is a massive IF), then it will be a oneshot of them futher down the line, after the whole school, college etc. thing is done and dusted. But I feel happy that i've tied up all my loose ends with this chapter (Quick and Jordane) so I'm moving on!**_

_**Thanks for joining me for the ride and see you with my next fic!**_

_**Vicky!**_

_**Song credits: What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction and Love On Top by Beyonce**_


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